


The Right Reasons

by ChrisRainicorn



Category: RWBY
Genre: Adrian being a baby, Because everyone knows hand holding is the peak of romance in rwby, F/M, Fake Dating, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Jaune being a dense dumbass, Nothing Bad Ever Happened Ever, Pyrrha trying her best, Romance, Saphron and Terra being cute wives, Slow Burn, Very Graphic Descriptions of Hand Holding, arkos, ish...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-01-13 10:24:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 36,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18467032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChrisRainicorn/pseuds/ChrisRainicorn
Summary: "My sister thinks we're dating and she was really excited about it and I panicked and didn't deny it!""What?!""See? Isn't that funny?"





	1. The Plan

**Author's Note:**

> This fic will be the first one that I actually planned for it to be a multichapter and I'm so excited to finally be posting it! It feels like I started writing it years ago jfksk.
> 
> The remaining parts are already all written tho, mainly because I couldn't bring myself to start posting it without finishing it. This time, I'm just not going to publish the chapters all together like how I did with a previous fic of mine because unfortunately, I don't have the time to edit 35k+ words in one go.
> 
> Quick announcement first. All of this was inspired by a text post on tumblr made by moistmailman (and if you're reading this dude, thanks again for letting me use your idea!) you can find it [here](https://moistmailman.tumblr.com/post/182284430566/fake-dating). Really, I had just read that post when it was published and the plot for this whole thing came to my mind in only a few minutes, I had never planned a fic so fast before.
> 
> So yeah, English is not my first language, there was no beta read, feel free to tell me if you find any weird sentences, and without further ado, let's start this thing!

The weekend had everything to be the most peaceful of days. The warmth of the sun combined perfectly with the fresh breeze, resulting in the most pleasant of weathers. The slow crawl of the clouds through the pure blue sky could induce drowsiness even on the most agitated person. Even the bird chirps had a lazy tune to their rhythm.

It was as if the whole world collectively decided that the Beacon Academy students needed some time to rest. Miraculously, they had no homework that needed completion, no pressure of studying for an upcoming test, no missions to take part in the near future.

Pyrrha blinked, opening her eyes only after a heavy sigh to get back at staring at the three books piled up over the desk. Books that she was sure it would help her pass the time. Books that she had told herself she would pick one to read. That had been almost ten minutes ago though, and the only thing she had been doing was glaring intensely at the cursive titles.

The most peaceful of weekends - pleasant, calm, quiet, dull…  _boring_ …

That is until the dorm's door was almost kicked out of its hinges. She almost fell out of the chair, hand instinctively reaching to the nearest object to use as a weapon - a deadly pink plastic stapler. Her partner stumbled inside then, looking as if he had just been running from a pack of mad Beowolves.

Jaune's panicked stare met with her startled one, his expression immediately melted into pure relief as he closed the door behind him. "Pyrrha! Pyr! You're here! Hey!"

"Ahn- Hello again, Jaune." Her greeting almost came out as a question out of pure confusion. She lowered the stapler back on the desk then, since there were no threats in the facility.

Though by the way her partner was standing, back pressed flat against the door, body hiding both hands gripping the doorknob as if he was trying to prevent something from bursting in, almost made Pyrrha reconsider her last decision. "Are you… okay? You seem a bit… antsy."

"Me? Okay?" He pointed at himself, then brushed her question off with waving hand gesture. "Yeah, of course! I'm more than okay, actually! I'm terrific! Fantastic even!"

The nervously forced chuckles after his statement caused her to raise an eyebrow. "Hm… Sure then. Can I… help you with something? Were you looking for me?"

"I… Y-yes, actually." He avoided her eyes for a second, glancing back to her after releasing a breath, and the panicked hold on the doorknob. "Okay, listen to this… it's a funny story, really!" Another awkward laugh and Jaune started pacing around the room.

"I was just talking to my older sister, Saphron. Y'know! Just catching up and all! It had been a while since we last talked. Anyway, at some point, I asked how her life was going, and she started telling me about it. About her city, her job, her house, her son, her wife-" His hands jumped from gesture to gesture with each word. "Then, she commented how happy she is with her wife, Terra. How much she loves her and having a life with her. How she's - and I quote - the most amazing girl in the whole world."

Pyrrha was trying her best to guess where Jaune was going with his narrative. When not having much success, she just tilted her head in confusion.

"I know right?! That was the cheesiest thing I ever heard coming out of her mouth." He opened his arms as if saying  _can you believe that?_  "But that's not it! I caught on pretty quickly on what she was doing!"

Jaune slapped a fist over his open hand to present his conclusion. "My sister was trying to make me jealous!"

"… Jealous… of her wife?" Her brow furrowed and she gave up on trying figuring out the final point of the tale.

"Of her love life!" He raised his arms exasperatedly. "Then she asked about my love life and I panicked since she went on and on about how much she's happy and in love and I didn't want to look like a loser in comparison since I'm single and lonely and I swear I tried to change the subject but she insisted and since you're my best friend and the coolest girl I ever met I kinda started talking back to her about you and-"

The last words she was able to discern in the middle of his rushed rambling caused her heart to skip a beat, so Pyrrha interrupted before he went faster and she missed any details. "Jaune, w-what are you saying?"

Her partner hadn't looked directly at her not even once during the length of his speech. And she only noticed that after he abruptly stopped in front of her, an apologetic expression on his face, posture stiff with closed firsts held in front of his chest, bracing himself for her reaction while he hurriedly blurted out "My sister thinks we're dating and she was really excited about it and I panicked and didn't deny it!"

"What?!" Heat immediately rushed to her cheeks. Her grip on the armrest tightened involuntarily, edges of the wood pressuring almost painfully against her palm.

"See? Isn't that funny?" Jaune clapped his hands together, looking away, totally missing her shocked reaction.

"That's not all though." After clearing his throat awkwardly, he continued. "She then dropped on me:  _You know why I called you? We are actually on Vale because Terra has a conference meeting here, we're just arriving at Beacon and I can't wait to meet your girlfriend!"_  He made a lousy impression of his sister's voice; it cracked a bit on the last word.

Despite the shock, something sparked inside her mind. Pyrrha finally had a wild guess about where all of this was going.

"So now my sister, her wife and my baby nephew are on their way to this dorm as we speak." Jaune continued babbling, his hands clapped together close to his chest in a pleading gesture. "And they really want to meet you, because they believe we're dating!"  _Oh gods, her guess was right, wasn't it?_  "So can you pretend to be my girlfriend until-"

"Yes!" She hastily got up from the chair.

"W-what? B-but I didn't even finish my sentence-"

"I know! It's just I'm very eager to help a friend in his time of need!" She stepped forward and gently placed her hands over his clasped ones to demonstrate her support, failing to stop her smile from becoming a bit too bright.

The second the guess about what Jaune was about to ask crossed her mind, she  _knew_  she couldn't let the opportunity to get away.

After months, more than a whole year, after realizing she wished he could be more than just her friend. After many times she had to see him trying and failing to achieve a chance with Weiss. After coming to terms that her feelings were too deep and too sincere to be just a crush. After his infatuation for the heiress obviously died down the days following the dance. After all of her numerous attempts to get him to take a hint - attempts that resulted in the whole school noticing, reaching the point that everyone knew, everyone but Jaune himself...

Admittedly, fake dating wasn't exactly how she imagined it happening… Still, this could finally be the chance she was waiting for!

"O-oh. Okay then." Jaune glanced to the hands placed over his. She was close enough to watch color spreading through his cheeks.

His blushes were always so obvious, maybe because the red made the dark blue of his eyes shine. Or maybe because she was almost always close when they happened. That was the reason she didn't give up, that the hope he would figure it out one day never faded. There were too much flustering, too many lingering glances, too many affectionate comments, that happened too often for her to believe that maybe…

Jaune looked back to her, a laugh escaping as his shoulders dropped with relief. "Thank you, Pyr! You're the best friend I could have asked for. I didn't know what I would do without you!"

She just smiled, sighing mentally. Jaune had a heart of gold and the purest of souls, unfortunately though, he was dense as a brick. Maybe… he just needed a little push…

"Anyway, my sister and Terra should be arriving any minute now! So we can just- I don't know, hold ha-"

"So this is their room?" An unfamiliar voice reached her ears from outside, they both whipped their heads to the direction of the sound.

"Yep!" The  _P_  on the word popped - classic Ruby. "Ren said they should be in there."

"Thank you so much… Ruby? Right?"

"Don't mention it." A tiny laugh, some noises that could just have been produced by a baby. "And it was nice meeting you all!" The sound of the team RWBY's door closing.

The doorknob of their own door jingled. Her heart almost leaped up to her throat. Jaune looked back to her with wide eyes and whispered-shouted. "It's them!"

Okay. In her defense, she wasn't with the clearest of minds. She had been expecting to have more time to let this situation sink in, his startle was so clear that she could only mirror it, this was actually happening they had to act fast and she panicked and maybe that's why she took her last thought about Jaune needing a little push a bit too literally.

There was the first crack of the door. Next thing she knew, she had slammed her partner against the nearest wall. He chocked as the impact knocked the air out of his lungs, and before he could make a sound, she covered his lips with her own, muffling a fleeting gasp. The last thing she saw before closing her eyes were his own wide with shock.

She felt how every inch of his body froze at the same second. That was bad.  _This was a bad idea_. Then the door opened fully, someone said something that sounded like  _"let's meet this girlfriend"_  and that apparently was what made Jaune's initial shock fade.

He quickly raised his hands to cup her cheeks, a bit too roughly at first because of the velocity - but considering she had shoved him against a concrete wall, it was fair. He inhaled sharply through his nose in an attempt to recover his breath, and when he exhaled, she felt his muscles relaxing, and he kissed her back.

 _He kissed her back_  and she felt like her knees would give in any second now. His lips softened against hers after the release of tension and her hands curled into first as she gripped the soft fabric of his hoodie to prevent them from shaking. She barely registered a stunned  _"Oh?"_  coming from the same person who had spoken before.

Another voice. "What's wrong, swee-" A pause, followed by another "Oh." This one sounding much more understanding.

It seemed the plan was working, and she had to hold back from smirking against his lips. So she just contented herself by pulling him closer, lightly moving her head to lean into his palm.

There was a background conversation during the next few seconds, the details were hazy thought, after all, how could she focus on people talking while Jaune tenderly caressed her cheek and let out tiny cute noises when she nibbled on his lip?

It was something like that though.

"Maybe we should give your brother some privacy, honey. He seems…" An awkward heavy pause, the confused babble of a baby. "… Occupied."

"You're right. So uh…" The door creaked while being slowly closed. "… Meet you two downstairs? Okay, good. Uh, bye. It was nice meeting you, Pyrrha."

The door was finally shut. He didn't pull away immediately so she lingered over his lips for one extra second, engraving the sensation on her memory. Then she arrived at the conclusion that he hadn't even noticed that their visitors had already left.

She let him go and moved away from him, a bit too quickly not to let her reluctance show itself too much. He stumbled in place, gasping for air with a noisy wheeze, forcefully blinked a few times, hands still raised in perplexity.

"So…" She started between short breaths. "Do you think that they bought it?"

"Yes! Most definitely!" His voice cracked after it raised in pitch. He coughed, raising a hand to his completely red face, to cover that up. "I mean, uh, y-yeah! I believe our little act tricked them. T-thanks."

She just joined her hands behind her back innocently; unable to stop the smirk to break through her voice, feeling a bit too much satisfied with the state she left him. "You're welcome!"

Jaune opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a shout.

"That. Was. AMAZING!" Nora's overly excited voice came from the other side of the room. Pyrrha jumped in place and then froze completely; her face now probably matched the color of her hair.

"N-Nora?!" Jaune pressed his body against the wall as if he wanted to pass through it and disappear. "H-how long have you been in there?!"

Their tiny teammate giggled mischievously, retreating back to her sheets and under the giant pile of stuffed animals that populated her bed, a teasing grin barely hidden by one of her extra pillows.

"The whole time!"

* * *

They immediately kicked Nora out of the room, but not before making the girl pinky promise that she wouldn't tell a single soul about what had just transpired - okay, maybe only to Ren, since it was obvious she wouldn't be able to keep  _that_  secret from her partner.

So now, it was only the two of them on the room. There was a solid second of nearly palpable awkwardness after Jaune closed the door. That, and the blank look on her partner's still red face were enough for the giddy butterflies on her stomach now share the space with moths of pure dread.

She had just slammed her best friend against a wall! And kissed him without warning! And he kissed her back and he was so warm and his lips were so soft and-  _Dust!_  She did say that she was going to take this chance, but she wasn't supposed to be this blunt! She could have messed everything up before it even started! She was supposed to have better control over herself!

Before she could even open her mouth to blurt a series of apologies, Jaune hurriedly stepped forward and placed his hands over her shoulders, eyes wide with urgency. "We need a plan for this! And quick!"

He let her go to pace around the room, Pyrrha just stood on the same place, stunned with his quick recovery. "If I know my sister well, which I do! She's going to ask a bunch of questions about us. So now we need to come up with a convincing story about how we started dating, when we started dating, why I didn't tell her sooner, why I didn't tell my mom about any of this, what we do for our dates, wh-"

He stopped on his tracks. "Pyrrha? Are you… really okay with this?" He embarrassedly glanced at her direction, just to divert his eyes almost in the same second, hand raising to the back of his neck. "I… I'm sorry. I know it's a lot a-and I shouldn't have dragged you into this. Y-you don't need-"

"N-no!" She snapped out of her moment of daze and stopped him before he could blame himself - after all, he wasn't the only one who had a panicked reaction that resulted in an impulsive decision. "I mean, yes!" Out of habit, she placed a hand over her partner's shoulder to reassure him. "I already agreed to it, Jaune. And your sister seemed to believe it. I'm okay with it, really."

Apparently, her words were enough to ease some of his worries, since she felt Jaune relaxing under her palm and his lips curled up in a small smile. She continued "And  _I'm_  sorry about-" The quickest of glimpse down; they were still pink from the kiss.

"No!" He waved his hands in front of his chest, interrupting her apology. "I-it's okay!" He looked to the side; she almost missed his almost unperceptive lick of lips.

"So, hm, tell me more about that plan!" Pyrrha blurted out while she still had the capacity to prevent herself from staring, harshly removing her hand from his shoulder.

"Ah! Yes! Plan!" He went back to walking around to gather his thoughts. She decided to sit on the nearest bed, realizing her legs were still a little wobbly. "I don't think we need to change anything about how we met. We just need to come up with something about how we started dating."

"How about last year's dance?" Was the first thing that popped on her mind. After all, after that day she had genuinely believed that things would change.

Jaune placed a hand on his chin, considering her suggestion. "That was almost a year ago though. I don't think my sister would believe I managed to keep a secret girlfriend from my whole family for that long..."

The pacing came to a halt. "But if she asks… I- I can say that I started liking you then. A-after the dance."

The way his cheeks flushed with color and his eyes avoided her own caused her heart to skip a beat, a spark of hope running through her chest. "That can work."

"Great!" Then he started moving around the room again at the same second. Rhythmic steps, a determined look on his face, with brows pushed together and wandering gaze, and wide hand gestures while talking. That's how he always looked when coming up with battle strategies. A lump raised to her throat. Jaune always had been exceptional with planning.  _He is just making this up as he goes._  "Then when…"

"We could tell then that we started dating at the beginning of this year?" Well, if it was going to be like this, she could make things up too. "You know how they say  _distance makes your heart grow fonder_... So after spending a month apart between semesters…"

"Pyr! That's genius!" She didn't even have to finish her train of thought for him to catch on. "I know for sure that Saph will believe that."

"Oh!" She was a little taken aback by his eager acceptance. "Why is that?"

"Ah, w-well… You know- You already know that I missed you guys during the break." He shrugged his shoulders. "And when my sisters and I met at our parents' house I talked a lot about you to them."

"Oh. All right then." Pyrrha felt her cheeks heating up, lips quivering to stop an intruding smile from forming. Indeed, she knew about the first part - Jaune had said that to each one of his teammates himself. The second part was fresh news though.

After agreeing on the reason that they didn't tell anyone about their relationship was to avoid media attention, considering Pyrrha's well-known career, they went back to their first dilemma "So… how did, uh, we became a thing?"

"We… can just say to them we went out one day… you know, to eat and walk around Vale like we already do sometimes… And at the end of the day…" The sheets were twisted forcefully between her fingers without her even noticing. Though the thing she  _did notice,_  was the fact she was basically narrating one of her romantic daydreams to the target of her affections. Pyrrha shrugged as nonchalantly as she was able, disguising her unnatural grip on the cloth. "... It just happened."

He only hummed an agreement, and finally settled down with his restless pacing. "Then… after they leave… I can just call my sister one day, and when she asks, I'll just say it didn't work out." Jaune concluded the thought with a clap of his hands. "Okay?"

She only nodded. Imagining a fake break up right after imagining their fake hook up wasn't exactly the most pleasing of experiences.

That didn't seem to bother her partner in any way. A low groan escaped from him then. "I really wish we had more time to come up with stuff but I think we should go find them now, actually." A sheepishly chuckle. "Or there will be even more questions about why we took so long."

"Ah! Yes, you're right." She quickly got up from the bed, finally freeing the innocent sheet from her deadly grasp completely.

Jaune was to about to turn to the door before he hesitated "Ah! One more thing!" He spun back to her direction. She had already taken a step forward, anticipating that he would walk ahead, his eyes widened for a second with the renewed proximity.

She stood her ground. "What is it?"

"Hm- I..." The blush spread around his face as obviously as always. "W-what's going to be allowed?" He diverted his gaze, hand now resting on the back of his head as he shifted his weight between his feet. "I mean… can we… hold hands? …Hug?"

She had to bite her lip to stop a giggle. Clasping her hands in front of her body to stop herself from throwing her arms around her partner right there and then - he just looked so adorable when flustered. "We can."

"O-okay. Good." She could swear his expression lightened up a little - or maybe it was just his blush getting brighter. "A-and what about…" His eyes dropped, her breathing tuned unevenly at the same second she realized at what he was referring.

"Ah. I..." Her mouth never felt dryer. "I mean... If… If necessary…"

"Necessary… Y-yeah." She did her absolute best not to run her tongue over her lips while he was still staring at them.

She failed. His eyes widened almost comically, and he immediately stepped back to restore the space between them. "L-let's head down t-then?"

She had to smile at his stammering. "Right."

Promptly walking ahead to the door, her partner followed close behind. Thought when her hand was already gripping the doorknob, Jaune's quiet voice reached her ears once again. "Hey, Pyr…?"

She stopped, his low tone making her uneasy for some reason. Still, she made herself turn around without letting her expression give that away.

The unsettling feeling faded immediately.

"Thank you." He smiled at her. That bright grin so characteristic of him, the one that raised his pinkish cheeks and made his eyes glimmer, with a tilt of head full of adorable boyish charm.

Pyrrha could only muster a nod and smile back. Before it could turn into a staring contest, she raised a hand to his direction. He looked taken aback for a second and, with a tentative motion, finally held it with his own. She dared to intertwine their finger together, almost getting a gasp out of her because of how right it felt.

She didn't see if he reacted to the more intimate grasp. Because she swiftly yanked the door open, her fake boyfriend trailing behind her through the corridor, to head down the stairs to meet her fake future sister-in-law, and probably answer questions about feelings that were not as fake as they were supposed to be.

* * *

They found Saphron and Terra at the dorm's recreation area, sharing one of the worn out couches.

"Look who decided to show up!" The woman that Pyrrha could immediately identify as Jaune's sister called to them, bouncing her son on her arms with each word as she got up from the couch, her wife following soon after.

"Hey, Saph." Jaune's greeting was full of mock annoyance. They hugged as best as they could, since his sister was carrying one of the cutest babies she had ever seen and Jaune's other hand was still holding her own. The way the grip tightened was the only indication that he was just as nervous as she was.

After quickly greeting the other woman and the baby together with a comment of " _look how big he is!_ " from the proud uncle, he promptly turned to her direction. "Pyr, this is my sister, Saphron, her wife, Terra, and the little guy there is Adrian."

The couple greeted back, Adrian babbled cutely after hearing his name, hands moving in what could be considered an attempt of a wave.

Her smile brightened at the scene and Jaune continued to their visitors. "And guys, this is my girlfriend, Pyrrha."

"Hello!" She managed to speak together with a friendly wave, despite the way her heart almost jumped out of her chest after hearing her partner call her  _my girlfriend_  so naturally.

"So… the famous Pyrrha Nikos." Terra started, a knowing glance was exchanged between her and her wife. Pyrrha felt the familiar cold shiver that ran through her spine every time someone mentioned anything related to her status in a greeting.

Then, Terra let out a light chuckle as Saphron rushed forward, offered her hand and shook Pyrrha's with enthusiasm - Adrian giggled on his mother's arms with the movement - a warm smile on her face that now Pyrrha could only classify as an Arc thing, and added without a single hint of malice on her voice. "Really, we heard so much about you. Jaune wouldn't shut up for a seco-"

"Saph!" Jaune frenetically interrupted his sister. His hand twitched on their hold.

"Oh! Really?" Pyrrha raised an eyebrow, a few giggles escaped and butterflies danced inside her stomach as she understood what they meant by  _famous_.

"Really. How he didn't call us to fill our ears about how he started dating is  _quite a mystery…"_  Saphron straightened her eyes at her brother, and Pyrrha understood why Jaune had wanted time to plot what they were going to say to his sister. Apparently, she hadn't believed her brother straight away about a sudden girlfriend.

"Actually, I can assure you that there's no mystery." A knowing smirk tinted his tone of voice. He opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted by Saphron.

"Ah! An explanation!" She raised her eyebrows, exchanging a look with Terra, who seemed to be containing a laugh. "You know what? I'm sure Pyrrha can tell us about it. Because I'm pretty sure Adrian needs changing. And you,  _little brother_ , are going to do it."

"Wait! Wha-" In a blink of an eye, the baby and a bag with Adrian's stuff was shoved on his uncle's arms. Obviously, he had to let go of her hand to get a firm grip; their fingers parted and she felt cold on the bottom of her stomach without his comforting hold.

Adrian just wined a little, tiny hands raising to inspect Jaune's face with pokes.

"Come sit with us, Pyrrha." Saphron motioned to a nearby armchair, giving her a friendly pat on the shoulder, then went back to sit on the couch by her wife's side.

Pyrrha understood immediately where this was going. She fell on the armchair almost too stiffly, feeling as if she had just been set up for an interrogatory. Her gaze quickly crossed with Jaune's. His eyebrows raised in an impotent expression, an unspoken  _"I'm sorry"_. She just nodded with a tilt towards the door, a small smile to ease his concern.  _"Go, I'll be fine."_

"Ok, fine." Jaune groaned to his sister after their silent conversation, Adrien almost successfully stuck a finger inside his mouth. He turned to her then, a worried glint on his eyes, as he rushed out the door. "I'll be quick."

"Don't run with him! He just ate and he  _will_  puke on you!" Terra shouted at the last second. Jaune's reply was just a distant distressed  _"Awn, man."_

Pyrrha had to let out a chuckle at the exchange. Then turning forward to face the occupants of the couch, she almost stiffened to enter automatically her  _interview mode._

"So, Pyrrha…" Saphron started, sounding half like a teenager wanting to hear some gossip, half like an investigator expecting to get answers from a criminal. "… Are you always that  _touchy_  with my brother?"

* * *

Jaune rushed through the halls as fast as he could without actually breaking into a sprint. His promise of getting back to Pyrrha as quick as he was able had been totally frustrated the second he had run into team RWBY, and the four girls immediately flocked around Adrian.

He had finally found a chance to slip away from them after a lot of gushing - and a few pictures. His nephew just kept looking over his shoulder, making tiny noises as if he was wondering where the nice girls had disappeared.

"Sorry, little guy, but we have other girls to get back to." He replied to Adrian's questioning babble.

Jaune felt extremely guilty, and nervous, and anxious, about leaving Pyrrha alone with his sister. Even after telling himself that there's absolutely nothing to worry about. It was just a conversation, right? Probably just girl talk and stuff. Pyrrha was a levelheaded person, who had probably faced worse interviews on her career. His partner could very well take care of herself.

Still, he couldn't shake off the discomfort on his chest. He should be there by her side! After all, he was the one who dragged Pyrrha into this mess and they should be dealing with this together.

He groaned loudly. "What I got us into…"

Adrian sent him a quizzical look. "Yeah, yeah. This is all your mom's fault." The baby crossed his arms, an expression that could only be described as pure skepticism on his face. Jaune just scoffed, rolling his eyes at the nephew who had a lot of attitude for his age.

At least, before he left, the plan seemed to be working. Saphron could send him as many suspicious looks as she wanted, but that would not change the fact that they had explanations for most of the questions he knew his sister would make.

Nor it would change the fact that she did catch them kissing earlier.

Just the memory sent a shock wave of sparks through his nerves. That really happened. His partner had kissed him. Not a quick smooch, not a chaste peck, but a full breathtaking kiss.

Yes, Pyrrha had only done that in favor of their scheme - and she did apologize after - and he was sure it did a good job at extinguishing some of his sister's doubts right away. Still, his mind went blank as it crossed his mind. He was doing his absolute best not to think, or consider, or admit how, for a few lasting seconds, he had forgotten it was supposed to be only a short act… how right it had felt to just… kiss her back…

And then they had walked all the way to the recreation area holding hands! He really hoped that his wasn't all sweaty during the short trip, he had been too nervous at the time to notice, just thinking how he was going to have to call his partner  _girlfriend_  without stuttering like an idiot and giving everything away. Still, he was sure that if it wasn't for her firm hold, his hands would have been shaking like crazy.

Pyrrha had dragged him along, marching through the corridor as if she was ready to enter a battlefield to face a challenger, ready to take a fight head-on. Then she immediately softened when arriving at their destination, with the same speed he had seen her slip on a polite mask when strangers approached her asking for pictures or autographs. He could surely say that if his partner decides to give up on the life of a Huntress one day, she might as well be an actress.

Everything had been an act... Yet, it had felt so real…

Jaune mentally scoffed at himself. Of course it had felt real. His knowledge when it comes to dating was embarrassingly scarce; there were almost zero previous experiences to serve as a comparison. That could have been the most staged kiss, the fakest hand-holding in the whole world and he would be incapable to tell.

Finally, he caught sight of the door that led to the recreation area. He immediately kicked his last thoughts out of his mind, swallowing the lump on his throat down until the heavy sensation faded.

He didn't know what he expected to find, but to see Pyrrha sitting on the worn couch, squeezed between Saphron and Terra, as the two women giggled like crazy at something on the Scroll on his partner hands, talking to them with an easy-going tone, with a laugh leaking to her words, was… not that surprising actually.

It was Pyrrha, after all. Who could possibly not like her? His smile grew with the scene, realizing that all of that worry had been for naught.

He probably would have just stood there for longer if it wasn't for Adrian's small cry, chubby hands reaching for his moms. The three looked up to the sound, noticing he had arrived.

He stepped forward. "What's going on here?" Raising an eyebrow, his eyes locked with Pyrrha's, the bright smile didn't leave her face as she gave him a light shrug.

"Pyrrha was just showing us a little thing!" His sister's teasing tone of voice could only mean bad news. "I see that you can still put out a dress just as nicely as befo-"

"Wow, wow- what!?" He rushed to their side, stopping behind the couch to look over Pyrrha's shoulder at the Scroll. The paused video of the choreography they performed at the dance clearly on the screen. "Pyyyr! How could you?" He whined, Adrien giggled on his arms.

"I'm sorry, Jaune! They insisted." She was actually not, he could tell! People don't smirk when they are sorry! "And why do you mean by  _before?"_  She turned to back to his sister, eyes glinting a bit too mischievously curious for his taste.

"Oh! When we were little we used to- Wait! I think I have pictures, let me show you instead!"

"Hey! Hey, let's- let's not do that!" Jaune interrupted with a forced laugh before Saphron could reach her Scroll on her pocket, passing Adrian to her arms. "Here is your baby, happy and clean! You're very welcome!"

The baby was a perfect distraction. "Look at this handsome boy! He's so cute!" Pyrrha cooed at Adrian, offering him a hand. He stretched a little arm forward, bouncing on his mother's knees, letting out a content noise as he successfully gripped one of her fingers. "Oh. Hello!"

"Do you want to hold him?" Saphron offered.

"Can I?" Pyrrha instantly lighted up.

Before his sister could notice that now she had free hands to reach the  _compromising_   _material_. Jaune started. "So, Saph, do you have any plans for the day?" He circled the couch to sit on the free armchair.

"We were just expecting to spend the day with you guys." She replied with sincerity, watching her son playing with Pyrrha. "We just need to leave by the time for Terra's meeting." Her wife hummed in agreement.

"Ah! And is there a cafeteria around here for us to eat?" She laughed, exchanging a glance with Terra. "Adrian already ate," She poked her son's belly, eliciting a giggle. "But we are getting hungry!"

He was just about to open his mouth to reply a " _sure!"_ when Pyrrha's suddenly wide eyes caught his attention and a realization struck.

They couldn't eat at Beacon! They couldn't even spend the day at Beacon! There was a huge chance of a student seeing him walking around with Pyrrha as if they were dating. "A-ah! Of course! But really, Saph, you don't really want to eat here! You know… school food…" He winced dramatically. "… Not the best."

"We could spend the day in Vale." Pyrrha offered quickly, before turning to his direction. "We actually know a pretty good restaurant, very affordable too."

He perked up. "You mean…?" Her smile turned into a knowing grin, confirming his unspoken guess.

"Yes!" He cheered, getting up from the chair. "We definitely have to go there!"

"Wow! What's so special about this place?" Saphron looked between the two of them for an answer.

"The food there is simply divine..." Pyrrha started, almost dreamily.

He continued. "But their best thing is-"

"-Their desserts!" They both completed the sentence at the same time, giggling a bit after the words met.

"Yeah! Their cakes are like…" Jaune made wide gestures with his hands, looking for words. "I can't even describe it you guys have to go there to prove it!" Pyrrha nodded feverishly at his statement.

"I guess it's settled then." Saphron said with a laugh, just as Pyrrha returned Adrian to her lap after he made motions to his mom's direction.

"Yes!" Jaune knew that he was probably acting like a little kid about to go to a carnival, but he seriously didn't care. "It's been a while since we have been there too. We usually go there to our-" He suddenly stopped, exchanging a quick glance with Pyrrha. "To our dates!" He finished, hoping that his smile didn't falter with his lie - that was a nice way to rename the team JNPR's end of the month hangouts.

A flash of acknowledgment went through Pyrrha's expression, he barely caught the tiny nod of approval she gave him in response.

"Oh. I see!" His sister and her wife got up from the couch. "We better get going then."

Pyrrha quickly rushed to his side after sitting up too. Getting him to notice that they had been far from each other during the whole conversation.  _Oh no._  Did Saph notice that? Should he have thought of a way for him to stay closer? Was that suspicious?

"Yes. And it's a lovely place! I'm sure you're going to love it!" His attention went to his partner when clapped her hands together as she talked, then after checking the time on her Scroll, Pyrrha added. "If we hurry, I'm sure we can catch the next airship to Vale in around fifteen minutes."

He groaned as the name of one of his biggest enemies reached his ears. Though it soon morphed into a chuckle when noticing Pyrrha's adorably confused expression to the sound being echoed by the other blonde in the room.

He wasn't the only one not excited to get into an airship today.

* * *

"So, you guys have to deal with this too?" Pyrrha started as soon as they were in the air.

"Yes." Terra laughed. "We usually have some pills that help. But guess who forgot to bring it?"

"I told you I swear I put inside Adrian's bag but-" A light shake of the airship was all it took for Saphron stop talking.

Terra just let out another soft chuckle. "I know, sweetie." She ran a hand across her wife's back, fingers going through her golden locks gently to soothe the queasiness away. Saphron was sitting on the bench with her elbows placed over her knees, head between her hands to keep it as steady as possible, she let out a sigh at her wife's touch.

Pyrrha had to admit that watching the scene between the couple was a bit… perplexing. Just because it was extremely familiar, since Jaune and her were in the exact same situation many times before - including now.

His sitting position was an exact mimic of his sister's - posture stiff with gaze fixed on the floor. She rhythmically traced circles on his back, right by the middle of his spine, where she knew it made him feel a bit better.

Pyrrha found herself offering this support during their trips since the very first times they had to catch an air ride together. And after Jaune thanked her profusely after, saying how much it helped, she never stopped.

So seeing that his sister and her wife had developed the same habit actually made her feel the light dance of butterflies on her stomach.

"Well, at least he seems to be enjoying the trip." With a giggle, Pyrrha tilted her head at Adrian on Terra's arm. The little boy was staring intensely at the window over his mother's shoulder, letting out tiny gasps and excited noises as a bird or big cloud drifted through his field of vision.

"Ah, yes! He loves it!" The woman glowed with motherly pride, and Pyrrha felt her smile growing. "I actually never seen a baby like traveling so much! Airships, cars, oh! You  _need_  to see how he gets on a boat!"

"So lucky…" Jaune growled his first words since they took off. Saphron groaned, and she was sure it was part an agreement to Jaune's comment and part a complaint about the movement.

Pyrrha had to chuckle at the exchange. To comfort her partner - totally inspired by how Terra was doing - she found her hand straying from its usual pattern, going up his back until it arrived on his head, where she lightly ruffled his hair. It was way softer than she expected, making her realize that she had never truly run her fingers through his hair before, just some quick playful pats of encouragement - usually given when he insisted in banging his forehead on a table while struggling with some school work. Her cheeks tingled with heat with the content sigh that escaped from him and the drop of his shoulders as they loosened with the touch.

Terra had laughed too, and Pyrrha looked at her when she spoke up again. A playful glint present behind her glasses. "Good thing they have us."

She felt herself blush, still not used to this oh so natural comments that referred to their  _relationship_. Turning her head to face the window, she replied with a laugh. "I guess we did sign up for it."

The airship jolted while it approached the docks. Twin low grumbles escaped from the Arcs.

"Hey, Jaune?" Saphron called, her voice coming out as a pained murmur. Pyrrha still heard it anyways, even with the ships turbines making their extra noise as they landed.

Jaune just grunted in acknowledgment.

"That's how you know she's too good for you." Her chuckle was interrupted by another shake. Terra only rolled her eyes at her wife, her smile and light blush hinted that that wasn't the first time she heard a comment of that nature

Jaune groaned embarrassedly at his sister's teasing. Pyrrha saw by the corner of her eyes her partner change the position of his hands, shifting from the sides of his head to bury the front of his face on them. The tips of his ears were bright red.

She mentally wished she had a way to cover her face too because there was no doubt that it was burning. Still, Pyrrha couldn't stop a giddy smile from forming after Saphron's words.

The ship came to a halt, motors turning off with a satisfying sound. Breaths of relief resonating together with it.

She ruffled his hair one last time before getting up, waiting for the path to clear as the passengers descended. Jaune wobbly followed right after, standing up by her side. The back of her hand tentatively brushed against his, there was a slight twitch from his part, yet he tilted it to the side and she moved hers to lace their fingers together.

A shiver ran from her fingertips to her spine and they finally stepped into the safety of the docks, Saphron and Terra hurrying ahead. They were doing this! In public! It was such a simple gesture but at the same time, it felt so unreal.

She dared a glance to Jaune's expression. Though he only had his lips firmly pressed together and squinted eyes, taking long patterned breaths to dissipate the discomfort caused by the ride.

"Are you feeling okay?" She stopped and turned to face him, offering a light squeeze on his hand, instinctively looking around for any nearby trashcan, though it had been long while since her partner actually needed one after landing.

"I'm-" His eyes were closed as he took a deep breath. Then he nodded lightly and blinked them open, his gaze flickered from her face, to the floor, to their joined hands, to her face again then finally to the side, a blush crept its way on his cheeks as he noticed their proximity. "… Y-yeah. I'm better."

His eyes met hers again and her heart skipped a beat when Jaune returned the hand squeeze. "Thank you."

It was the same boyish grin he gave her before they left their dorm. Yet, this one made her feel twice the quantity of butterflies on her stomach. Maybe because of their intertwined fingers and the alluring closeness. The smile she gave back to him was smaller than she really wanted it to be. Still, she contained it with a bit of lip. Pyrrha also had to contain her free hand, which had been only one move away from being placed on the back of his head, pulling him closer to say  _your welcome_  together with a peck on his adorable pink and very kissable, cheeks.

However, kisses were only allowed if extremely necessary, she reminded herself. Saphron and Terra had dived into one of the bathrooms, and that meant they had no reason for a little act now.

"It was nothing, Jaune." Pyrrha insisted while turning around to walk the rest of the platform that led away from the docks, pulling her partner with her. Then, before she could regret it, she added with a playful glance over her shoulder. "That's what girlfriends are for."

"Yeah." He agreed, still with that cute smile on his face. Then realization flashed through his expression as she turned her head forward to hide a smirk. "Wait. Wh-"

"Let's not keep your sister waiting!" She interrupted him a bit too enthusiastically, dragging Jaune forward with a tug on his arm.

Maybe this was going to be easier than she thought.


	2. The Date

During the walk to the restaurant, Jaune took the opportunity to show their visitors around the city.

"… And if you go through there you will arrive at the port." He pointed at a path on the other side of the street, the still waters of the ocean barely visible at the end of it. "Nice view, but only if you don't mind the smell of fish."

Saphron laughed behind them on the sidewalk. "Not one of your guys' favorite date spots?"

Pyrrha felt the tingle of heat on her skin as she exchanged a quick glance with her  _boyfriend_. "You could say that."

They had been walking only for a short while, and it seemed like Jaune's sister was talking every single opportunity to make a comment related to her relationship with her brother. She was sure Jaune noticed that too. Was Saphron still suspicious about it? Or was this normal sibling teasing? Or just a friendly addition to the conversation? People just made this type of comments when you're dating someone? Was this normal and they were just overthinking?

Jaune continued playing the role of tour guide, a pinkish hue now locked on his face. She was sure she was in a similar state too.

Really, how could she not be after their hand-holding had suddenly evolved into a link of arms? The shift of position had happened so naturally too, without her even thinking about it. They were just going through a narrow sidewalk and then… it happened. She was sure that her partner hadn't noticed the change right away either. There had been no nervous twitches or stiffening of muscles, she would have noticed, of course, especially with the advanced proximity the position offered.

She was enjoying this way more than she was willing to admit. Actually… No, she would admit it. However, the enjoyment didn't come apprehension free. Every spark of joy had a bit of doubt. After all, his partner was still a clueless creature, and for all she knew, all of this was merely an act to him.

"That is one of the coolest arcades in town!" Jaune pointed at the establishment on the other side of the street, his excited tone brought her attention back. "Man, I wish we were allowed to go there…"

"What do you mean? You can't?" Saphron asked, eyebrows rising in confusion.

Pyrrha had to laugh, then replied over her shoulder. "Not for the next month or so."

Jaune raised his free hand to the back of his neck, eyes dropping to the floor. "Yeah… We might have been… banned…? From there…?"

Saphron gasped dramatically.

"Not my fault though!" He raised his hand in surrender. "Our teammate, Nora, can get… pretty aggressive on some games… especially if it involves hitting something with a hammer."

"You guys wrecked the place?!"

"One game! Just one! And it's not like it wasn't unfixable!"

Jaune looked at her then, a mischievous glimmer on his eyes. "But you need to know what my lovable partner here was doing."

Pyrrha immediately knew what he was about to tell. She gasped, eyes straightening dangerously, not even giving a second thought that he had just called her  _lovable_. "Jaune, you know pretty well-"

"Oh! What was she doing?" She didn't even need to look at Saphron to see the smirk.

"Pyrrha was-"

"Jaune…"

"Pyrrha here was cheating on the games!"

She just groaned. "No, I wasn't."

"Oh yeah? Then explain to me how you,  _Miss I Can Control Metal With My Semblance,_  beat every single high score on the pinball machine?" He raised his eyebrows smugly "And all of that under thirty minutes?"

The wives were quietly laughing in the background. "Wow, impressive."

"Very… am I right?" He grinned.

"Well, if you think that I was cheating that much…" Pyrrha rolled her eyes, a smile threatening to break her annoyed facade. "Maybe I should do the right thing… and return the prizes I got to redeem myself. Don't you think?"

His smug expression vanished instantly. "Wait-"

"Ah, yes. Nora wouldn't be very happy if her stuffed sloth suddenly disappeared. And…" She lightly tapped on the tip of his nose, his blush intensified instantly."… I'm sure that you wouldn't like to see your bunny plush go away either."

"Y-you w-wouldn't." He stammered, snickers from his sister her wife and even from the baby on the background.

"Exactly. I wouldn't  _cheat!"_

Jaune opened his mouth for a comeback, nothing came out and he broke their eye contact. She smiled victoriously.

He let out a huff of annoyance then. "Sure. I know your lying, Nikos. And one day I will prove it!"

"I will be waiting on that."

"Jaune, I thought you had gotten over your bunny phase years ago." His sister teased between her laughs.

"I didn't have a-" He started exasperatedly, before letting out a loud sigh, face completely red. "You know what? Let's just get back to enjoying our walk in the town! What about it, huh? That's a good idea!"

Pyrrha had to laugh at his flustering. Her attempt to keep her giggles restrained caused her forehead to unintentionally lean on his shoulder. His arm stiffened slightly under her hold with the contact. Looking up to him through her bangs, a spark of fear went through her chest, afraid that his reaction was a disapproval one. Though she only found him trying to avoid her eyes embarrassedly - and obviously failing, if the glance by the corner of his eyes said something - while pretending to be offended, all of that with that obvious blush of his.

Another laugh escaped from her, together with one apologetic shrug of shoulders. Jaune blinked once, his lips quivered, then he brightly smiled back, making her heart jump, before he rolled his eyes and diverted them away, sheepishly looking down at the ground.

The light exchanges, the furtive glances, the lasting blushes, you couldn't just  _act_  your way through those. She wondered if there were parts of this experience that also felt extremely natural for him.

Jaune cleared his throat then, resuming the conversation about the city with their visitors. Pyrrha politely added commentary here and there, face returning to normal color as they walked, as if her mind had just accepted that walking this close to her partner was a trivial thing.

* * *

 There was a fork on their path, both would lead them to their final destination at the same, one leading downtown and the other going through Vale's park.

The visiting couple voted in favor of going through the scenic route and Pyrrha let out a breath of relief. At this time of the day, downtown Vale would be crowded with people, so she was more than glad with a walk through the park.

They hadn't even taken more than a few steps in when Adrian squealed in delight, eyes shining and hands reaching towards the colorful playground on their path.

Looks were exchanged, and silent agreements were given.

"Well… I think food can wait a little bit…"

Soon they were watching Adrian going down the slide. Saphron holding him all the way down and Terra crouched at the end of the slope, ready to catch him at the end of the ride. As soon as it was over the little boy would wave his arms excitedly, asking for an encore.

"Gods… they are so adorable!" She couldn't help herself from squealing and smile from splitting through her face. "Look at Adrian go! He's so cute!"

"Yea- Ouch! Pyr! You're crushing my arm!" Jaune struggled, and she immediately let go of him with a quick  _I'm sorry._

Then she almost jumped out of her skin when Jaune immediately took hold of her hand again with a swift motion. Pyrrha looked back to him, only to find him with his gaze focused somewhere else. He glanced back to her direction soon after though, the shine on his eyes could rival Adrian's own after he spotted the playground.

"Pyr!" He pointed behind him with a goofy smile. "Wanna go play in the elderly gym stuff?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out of her was an amused laugh. "Jaune, you know well that's not for playing!"

"But Pyyyr..." He made  _That Face,_  the one with the raised eyebrows and cute pout that trembled with a repressed smile, as if he knew it was one of her weaknesses. "The swings are occupied now and the gym is completely empty!" He placed both of his hands over the one he was already holding, swinging them from side to side as he bounced in place. "And you know it's the next best thing!"

She opened her mouth to argue but to her not so much surprise, no words wanted to come out. So Pyrrha gave in, trying her best to not let her excitement shine through too much - this wasn't the first time he had convinced her in doing this anyway. "Fine! Let's go."

"Yes!" He cheered, already pulling her towards the  _old people playground_  - affectionate nickname given by Nora.

She knew exactly to which equipment he would go. And she had to admit, it really was the closest thing to an actual swing they could find in a park's outdoor gym.

It was an air swing - a popular choice among the people who had been denied a chance at the real playground. Which consisted in a metal pillar that branched into handles at the top, the swing was a small platform connected to the main structure by a movable metal pole, where you just placed both of your feet after getting a grip on the handles, and then moved your body from side to side.

It was a bit silly, but this one was her favorite too. Mainly because each pole had two platforms attached to it, each one on the exact opposite side of another, so if there were two people using it, they would be face to face.

It wasn't any intrusion of personal space, of course. But it was fun watching Jaune's expressions up close as he tried to balance himself without using his hands, brows furrowed cutely and tongue poking out as he concentrated.

"You have to start swinging first. How are you going to move without pushing yourself with the handles?" Pyrrha pointed out as her partner almost fell for the third time. She had just opted to use the swing as it was supposed to be used.

"I… got this…" He tried again; a few more attempts ended in stumbles before he gave up with a grunt.

"Do you want me to help?" She contained a giggle behind her hand.

"Using your semblance is cheating!" He gasped, pretending to be offended by the offer. "You know that very well!"

She just rolled her eyes and laughed. They settled into a comfortable silence until Jaune spoke up again.

"So, Pyr… Is everything okay? … Until now?" He asked hesitantly

There was a second of confusion before his knowing expression made her realize he was talking about their scheme.

"Oh! Yes. Everything is fine." She reassured him with a small smile.

"O-okay. Just… T-tell me if something makes you uncomfortable or something like that…" His eyes dropped to his own feet swaying from side to side, his blush making itself more visible.

"Of course. Same goes for you, alright?"

He nodded, looking back to her. For a second she thought he was going to list things that she had done and he hadn't liked it.

Instead, he continued. "So, I was meaning to ask… what they said to you when it was just you three? Back at Beacon?" He tilted his head to the couple at the playground. "A-and I'm sorry for leaving you alone with them I should have known that my sister was going to do something like that-"

"Jaune, it's okay. It was no problem." She interrupted his talk before it could become a ramble with a quick touch on his arm; her hand flew back to the handle before she could lose her balance. "And they just asked me regular questions… those  _what are your intentions with my brother_  ones."

"Really?!" His voice cracked.

She had to laugh at his reaction. "Yes. And the others were actually just the things we talked about before we went to meet them…" She intentionally made no mention of the question  _are you always that touchy with my brother?_  because of obvious reasons - also, she didn't even get to answer that one since Saphron brushed it off as a joke right after.

"They asked how we met, how we started dating- ah! Why we didn't tell anyone… That was one of the first actually… When I started liking you…"

"Wait. I don't remember making up an answer for the last one…" He tilted his head in curiosity. "What did you say to them?"

"Oh. I just told them th-" She bit her tongue just in time, cutting her sentence before it could be completed with  _the truth_. "T-told them since I started training you."

"Really?" He seemed genuinely surprised by her reply. "That's a long time!"  _Don't I know that…_  "Did my sister believe that? What did she say?"

"Yes. She…" Pyrrha took a calming breath. "Just laughed, saying it was very typical of you… And called you dense."  _Dense Dumbass_  were her exact words, she would relieve it a little though.

Jaune gasped as if his own family had just stabbed him on the back. "How dare... You know what? That's very typical of  _her_." He huffed in annoyance. "Then what?"

"I just agreed with her." She shrugged her shoulders, glancing down to hide her expression, which now was torn between amusement and disbelief of how ironic this conversation was.

"I feel betrayed."

"I'm sorry,"  _Not really._  Deciding to laugh about the situation, she continued after a chuckle. "Like you said… It was a long time, there was no denying that."

"I'm not  _that_  dense…" He made a motion as if he was just about to cross his arms, but almost falling out of the swing got his hands back in the handles.

"Oh, really?" She raised an eyebrow. "If I remember correctly, it did take you more than one semester to finally notice that Weiss wasn't interested in you…"

"T-that was almost a year ago!" His cheeks colored red as he stuttered embarrassedly. She almost felt bad about just throwing the Weiss card on their conversation out of nowhere. Almost. "I-if it was now I would have noticed!"

Now she really laughed, stopping the swinging to stare at him straight on the eyes. "Jaune, I seriously bet that, right now, if there was someone out there who really liked you, you wouldn't even realize even if they were right in front of your face."

"Hey!" He stopped the swaying too. "How can you be so sure about that?"

Pyrrha glared at him. Perhaps her words had been a little harsh, honestly though, this conversation was turning ridiculous! He hadn't just made that question! Dust! How much she wanted to just grab on the collar of his hoodie, pull him towards her and kiss him breathless as her reply.

But she didn't. Pyrrha swore to herself that after that hasty kiss at the dorm, she would take things more slowly. She wanted this to be just a push for Jaune to figure out his feelings on his own, not to make him feel obligated to return her own feelings after intense displays of affection.

She just narrowed her eyes at him instead - he seemed more curious than actually upset at her words. Getting down from the swing, a smirk raised to her face as she took a few steps away. "I just have a feeling… I know my partner pretty well after all."

"Hey! W-wait! Pyr! What do-" There was a yelp. As a second nature, she had rushed back to his side in a blink of an eye. His limbs were dangling over the metal handles, foot slipping out from the safety of the platform. A hand on his chest and the other on his shoulder was what was keeping him from falling flat on his face.

Their eyes met, as every time that happened, Pyrrha dived into blue. His completely startled expression and erratic heartbeat under her palm were what prevented her from drowning and pushed her back to the surface. She opened her mouth to say something, the words that were supposed to come out were lost to her the moment she noticed Saphron and Terra approaching by the corner of her eyes.

She pushed her head forward, Jaune's eyes widened in surprise when she lightly touched the tips of their noses together. A quiet gasp. A whisper "Your sister is coming."

Understanding crossed his face. She moved away from what she hoped it had appeared to be a quick kiss to the actual couple. Jaune recovered a stable footing and finally got down from the swing.

He stared at her while he dusted off his hoodie, the look on his face full of suspicious curiosity made her actually ponder if he had gotten a hint.

But then Jaune turned to his sister and sister-in-law as they approached, the look vanished completely, only a light blush remaining, and he asked cheerfully, as nothing unusual had happened. "So, ready to get something to eat?"

* * *

 "Wow."

"I told you guys."

Saphron and Terra stared at the two plates that had been placed in front of them. What got them out of their stupor was a tiny baby hand trying to poke the newest additions to the table.

The cakes were really something else. If Jaune could use one word to describe it, it would be  _gigantic_  - extremely delicious worked too, but those were two words. Almost one palm tall, six intercalated layers of fluffy chocolate cake and a creamy chocolate filling. Coated delicately, but still in a generous amount, with chocolate icing, decorating the top with fancy flowery swirls.

A piece was always presented in a plate slathered with chocolate syrup, and together with it, to finish the display, came a piece of actual chocolate. This time it was shaped like a heart.  _How fitting!_

"Now I see what you meant when you said that it was almost impossible to eat it alone…" Terra adjusted her glasses, interrupting the trajectory of Adrian's hand before a mess could happen.

"That's why we always split." He laughed, already handing Pyrrha a small knife so she could do the honors.

Jaune knew his sister had a sweet tooth, the way her eyes lightened up when their dessert arrived proved that. Though he knew that the person who was most excited for it was his partner herself. This specific chocolate cake was one of the few things she broke her restrict diet for.

Pyrrha was sitting as proper as always, but he could feel her leg bouncing slightly with excitement under the table. She had snatched the knife out of his grasp with a speed that rivaled Ruby's semblance, eyes twinkling with eagerness while she carefully divided their piece into two equal parts, there was a discreet lick of lips in anticipation and they curled up in a smile, a slight quiver told him that it was probably intended to be bigger than it actually was. Really, he didn't know why Pyrrha had the habit of containing her smiles sometimes, and now that he was thinking about it, her laughs too, it wasn't unusual for them to be hidden behind a hand, and he just couldn't understand why because they were so-

"Jaune?" He almost jumped on his chair as her questioning tone reached his ears.

"Hm, yeah?"

"You spoon." Her raised eyebrow told him Pyrrha was trying to get his attention for more time than it was supposed to be necessary.

His eyes dropped to the cake in front of him as soon as he took the utensil, a blush coloring his face. His stomach felt heavy with embarrassment, and Jaune only noticed because it was a screeching contrast to the light sensation that had taken over him for the last few seconds.

There was the sound of a chair scraping against the floor, then suddenly their legs were touching under the table after Pyrrha scooted closer to his side. He felt a spark of energy with the unexpected contact. Then he felt like his skin was crawling with static after she moved to take the first bite of her half of cake with her own spoon and their arms brushed together.

Jaune took a bite of his cake but he actually couldn't focus on the taste. Pyrrha said something to his sister and Terra but he couldn't focus on the words. He mentally groaned to himself. He felt weird and jumpy - since they had gotten out of the park actually. Sometimes it made him feel almost sickly heavy in the stomach as if he had just swallowed melted metal, others felt just as light and warm as Aura activation; the only concrete thing he was able to identify was that the cause for all of that was his partner herself.

During the entire remaining walk to the restaurant, Jaune couldn't ignore the feeling that Pyrrha knew something he didn't, just because of their talk at the park's gym.

_"…right now, if there was someone out there who really liked you, you wouldn't even realize…"_

She had said that with such conviction. Part of him interpreted her knowing tone as if she was telling him that there was actually no person around who could actually like him - and sincerely, he could believe that. Still, a way smaller part took Pyrrha's so full of certain words as if she knew there was someone who liked him, and her glare made him believe she wasn't going to be the one to tell.

Then she had looked at him  _that way_  after he tripped and he felt his mind go blank when she moved forward and then she let him go and he felt his stomach drop with something that for some reason closely resembled  _disappointment_.

Why he would be disappointed though? There was no reason for that, nope! He was only feeling like she wasn't telling him something… Wait... Yeah! That was it! He had just wanted her to explain better what she meant and then Saph and Terra approached and interrupted them. He was just intrigued by the answer he hadn't received.

He felt really satisfied with himself with his conclusion. Ah! And he had just been staring because he wanted to find, and understand, that strange look she had given him during their talk again. Totally!

It had completely disappeared thought. Pyrrha was just the embodiment of joy at the moment, she would blink lingeringly with bliss with each bite, slow chews as she savored one of her favorite treats, with quiet satisfied hums that he could only hear because she was right by his side, an adorable smile was there to complete the picture.

Then she stopped. Pyrrha turned to his direction and Jaune felt the same spark of energy he had felt before, now spreading out straight from his chest. He was staring again.  _She was right by his side_ , they were close enough for leg and arm touches, so that meant now they were almost nose-to-nose.

Jaune didn't find that look he was searching for before, because the one on its place was the exact same she had given him after he fell from the swing. Like the other time it happened, he fell into the soft field of green, what prevented him from just laying there was the quick divert of her eyes to the side, to the direction of the actual couple.

He did the same, just to find that his sister attention was on her wife trying to clean icing from their son's face while she took pictures of the mess.

They looked back to each other at the same time. Another spark. Her gaze now tinged with worry, an implied  _"Are you okay?"_

Jaune wanted to say " _yes, don't worry!"_  but for some reason, he wasn't able to get anything out. He felt weird and jumpy - and by her concern, she had noticed that. Pyrrha tilted her head, waiting for an answer and encouraging him to talk. He felt warmer and lighter than Aura activation. A loud clink brought him back to his senses; the spoon he had been meaning to place back to the plate had missed the target, slipping from his hands without him even noticing.

The sound made them both jump on their chairs and brought the attention of his visitors to him. "Wow, we don't need another one to be making messes around here."

Adrian giggled, tiny hands waving as if he knew his mom was talking about him and he was absolutely not sorry. So Saphron only rolled her eyes at her brother before getting back to her son, feeding him some cake without a serious mess this time.

"S-sorry!" His voice cracked as he laughed awkwardly to cover it up. He retrieved the cutlery from the floor. "Slippery hands!"

Jaune glanced quickly at his partner when he sat back up. Pyrrha was just staring at him, confusion taking over her expression.

Yeah. He didn't know what had just happened either.

He put the spoon in a corner of the table, his shoulders dropped and he mumbled to himself "Guess I'll have to get another one." And to do that, he would have to get up, since their table was placed just outside of the restaurant. Way cooler ambiance, but a bit harder to get the attention of the waitresses.

He was just about to do it when a touch on his arm interrupted him. Next thing he saw was Pyrrha poking his half of the cake with her own spoon. He let out something that began as a disgruntled gasp and ended as a distressed whimper - how dare she take advantage of the situation by stealing his dessert?!

She laughed at the sound, then raised the spoon back up, and to his momentary confusion, it wasn't to her own direction.

_Oh._

Pyrrha motioned the spoon to him once again, a bit more hesitantly this time, a tilt of her head and an almost imperceptible scrunch of shoulder told him  _"You don't have to do this if you don't want to."_

Still, Jaune rushed forward and accepted her offer.  _He did want too_. And that just because they were supposed to be together for around six months, and how it was supposed to be convincing if he was acting like a teen on their first date?

He licked his lips to reach a smear of icing. It took a second, but his partner quickly turned to the plate to get a piece from her own half, and he watched her cheeks turn pink with their indirect kiss.

 _Oh gods_. He was trying his best to act normally during the following bites, but the heat on his own cheeks was probably betraying him. He didn't know that eating a simple piece of cake could generate that much adrenaline. It wasn't that big of a deal though! They had actually kissed for real before, so sharing a spoon was nothing compared to how Pyrrha's lips had felt against his… so soft and gentle, but at the same time firm and full of resolve, as if she encouraged and instructed him at the same time and he could do nothing but follow… thousands of times better than how he had imagined kissing her would be like…

Wow! Let's not go there! And he had only done that  _once!_  Just when his sister had first said she thought that they were dating! Because that's naturally the first thing that pops on someone mind with an accusation like that! Totally! He had just thought about that only one time and nothing more. No lies there!

Jaune kept sending glances to his sister, trying to find signs that she was still suspicious about them. At the moment though, both she and her wife were too busy enjoying their own dessert, the only sound across the table for a while now was the clinking of cutlery on plates.

That was an extremely good sigh! If his sister wasn't glaring at him like a hawk that meant she thought she hadn't the reason to do so! Their act was coming through!

Jaune instantly felt more at ease, taking his next bite of cake with a smile. He had to thank Pyrrha again soon. She was actually a real quick thinker when it came to their situation. He had to admit that this spoon idea was genius, she always seemed to be the one to initiate their hand-holding right at the right times, and the way she touched their noses together at the park had a perfect angle for his sister to think it was a quick peck.

She was the one who did all of that… and so easily too…

Now he felt kinda bad. She was basically doing all the work with her super credible acting and he was basically a pile of nerves.

He barely noticed that they had finished with the cake. Pyrrha bumped her shoulder on his playfully, getting his attention as she slid the only thing left on the plate with a push of the spoon to his direction.

Jaune immediately perked up; the accompanying piece of chocolate was just as delicious as the cake itself.

He took the heart-shaped treat, carefully biting half of it before giving the rest to his partner and she gladly took it. It was a silent agreement of theirs, because Jaune knew that if he tried to insist for Pyrrha to take all of it, she would never accept it - no matter how chocolate was her favorite sweet - and if he tried to give her a bigger piece than his own, she would shove the rest of the part that was supposed to be his directly into his mouth.

He had learned that after a choke that ended in a lot of  _I'm sorry's_  and Nora spreading a flattering picture of the moment to their lovely friends

He was just enjoying his chocolate when his eyes met with his sister's. Saphron had the blankest, most unreadable expression on her face as she stared at them, making a shiver run through his spine.

He swallowed hard. "What?"

Saphron narrowed her eyes. He felt Pyrrha stiffening by his side at his sister's cold glare. "You guys… Are disgustingly adorable."

"Ah." Jaune felt the blush rising to his cheeks. The tension left his partner body with a giggle. "Thank you? I guess?"

"No, I'm serious." She continued. "Can you believe that, at first, I had actually considered that you were lying about this?" His sister straightened her eyes again, placing her chin over her palm. "I mean… everything had been so sudden."

_Oh, I see where this is going._

Fortunately, Jaune knew exactly what to do.

"Oh, really?" He mimicked her posture; the only difference was a smirk on his face. "Well, dear sister, when you told us you were dating, nobody in our house was crazy enough to believe it eith-"

Saphron gasped and threw a crumpled napkin at him. Years of experience allowed him to dodge easily. "And we do have a big family!"

Terra laughed at her wife's annoyance. "Is that true?"

"Oh, yes." He said matter of factly. "Her nickname around the house was  _useless lesb-"_

"Hey! L-look at the time! We better go to pay and leave!" She said between gritted teeth, an implied  _one more word about this and you're dead!_  "You don't want to risk being late for your meeting, right honey?" Saphron basically bolted from the chair then, heading inside the restaurant.

Terra was still laughing at her wife's flustered state. She rolled her eyes lightly, getting up with Adrian on her arms to go after her. "She forgot her purse."

Soon it was just Pyrrha and him. The moment the couple was out of their sight he dropped heavily over the table with a loud sigh. "That was close."

Jaune felt a soothing stroke on his back and her laugh reached his ears. "You two are so much alike."

He groaned. "Pyr, you're my friend, so I will not take that as an insult."

The rubbing on his back stopped, there was a pat before she removed her hand. "Wait. Your sister is paying for us?"

He turned his head at the sound of her chair being pushed back.

She was already up when he took her arm. "Wait, Pyr." He got up too. "If I know my sister well, she will not let you pay for nothing on this world."

"But-"

"C'mon, nearly every time we come here you pay for us. Let them do it for once." Jaune shrugged his shoulders. "Also they are adults with real salaries, so yeah…"

Pyrrha opened her mouth to speak but soon closed it, shaking her head with a chuckle. "I can't believe that's your argument."

"A very valid one. I know." He tugged on her arm. "Let's just go wait for them."

They headed to the sidewalk to allow the waitress to clear the table. The neighborhood where the cozy restaurant was located was a peaceful one, out of the rush of Vale's commercial center; small houses were prominent instead of tall buildings, the stone pavement gave the street a special charm, there were trees in front of every each house or so. He knew that his partner preferred this kind of places instead of the more crowded ones, so after finding out about it one day, they were always coming back.

They went to the fresh shade of the restaurant's very own tree. Jaune let go of her arm as soon as they started walking, Pyrrha promptly moved to take his hand though. Lacing their fingers together felt like the right thing to do at the moment, so he did.

He could see through the glass front his sister talking amicably with the old lady at the cashier, who was gushing about Adrian as Terra headed to the bathroom.

"Do you think she still suspects something?" Pyrrha started, following his line of sight.

"I think she will always do until we get married." He huffed a laugh. The grip on his hand stiffened, noticing what the way his placement of words had just implied, he quickly stammered. "I- I mean… W-we obviously won't go that far. I swear! It's just her thing. When I said nobody had believed she had a girlfriend I was telling the truth. Even after our family knew that it was real, we kept teasing her… like an inside joke, y'know? This might be some kind of payback… but I'm not sure how much of it could be only teasing or actual doubt."

"Oh. I see." Pyrrha nodded in understanding and continued with a chuckle. "Well… we better make sure we are being convincing then."

"Y-yeah." He absolutely couldn't prove right his sister accusation of lying! Being the most believable they could be being the top priority. The thoughts he previously had about how Pyrrha had been the one to initiate most of their acts came back to the front of his mind. She had just taken his hand first not a minute ago too, and Jaune couldn't help but notice that even with their grasp, they were still standing a few feet apart.

Well, it was time for him to actually contribute to the scheme he had come up with in the first place.

"Hey, Pyr?" He tugged on her hand, motioning for her to get closer. She did, staring at him with expecting eyes. "D-do you mind if I…" His free hand made some vague gestures. "… Hold you? I mean… I- I think it would help…? Convincing them… I mean."

"Oh." He saw her cheeks turn pink, and Jaune was sure he was in a similar state. Then she let go of his hand and stepped in front of him, lips curling in a faint smile. "Yes. I... I don't mind."

He froze for half a second. Where his hands were supposed to go?  _On her waist you idiot._  Yeah. He knew that. Jaune took a step forward, keeping his eyes on his hands as he tentatively circled her body. Lacing his fingers together behind her back, he locked their embrace. His arms rested around her perfectly, the pressure of her body against him brought immediate warmth to his own, the tip of her ponytail tickled his fingers, and he had to contain himself from playing with the curl.

He didn't look back up to her immediately, every inch of contact between them prickled intensely with the touch, who could have known simply hugging someone could be so overwhelming? Pyrrha soon hummed a positive sound to let him know it was okay. Her hands moved right after, and even through his thick hoodie, Jaune could feel the heat of her palms when she placed them over his chest.

He raised his head then, he could hear his heartbeat pounding inside his ears. Their eyes met. She smiled at him; that one he had seen on her face many times before, so gentle and reassuring, so  _Pyrrha_ , telling him that everything would be all right. He could swear it was a bit brighter than usual, maybe it was just the proximity though.

Jaune let go of a heavy breath, his nervousness going away with it. He smiled back to her, it grew until it turned into a chuckle. It was just Pyrrha; he didn't need to be acting like a wooden plank just because he was a little bit physically closer than usual to his best friend.

"Pyr... Thank you… for agreeing to this… I know it's kind of a weird, and really big, favor but…" He swayed his head from side to side, thinking about how to finish his sentence. "I owe you one- No, I owe you a  _lot!"_

She let out a chuckle, staring at him for a while, enough for him to feel his cheeks heating up again - her eyes seemed to go even deeper in the brightness of the afternoon sun. "You don't need to thank me every single second, Jaune. It's- it's no problem."

"If you're saying so…" He shifted his weight between his feet. "When you want to go back to Beacon just tell me, alright? I kinda just busted your plans for the day now that I'm thinking about it…"

The amused tone of her laugh brought his eyes back to hers. "I was having the most boring day ever actually, I didn't have any plans. And I'm having a great time, really. I loved your sister! And Terra too! They are so sweet and little Adrian is the cutest thing! Also, we got cake!" Her excitement was actually really adorable. She calmed down a bit, smiling warmly before continuing. "I couldn't have a better day."

His heart fluttered on his chest at her sincere words. He opened his mouth, but before anything could come out, Jaune caught by the corner of his eyes his sister and her wife heading to the door, Adrian waving goodbye to the cashier.

"They are coming..." He felt it them. The same feeling he had felt before at the park after she had moved away from their nose touch -  _disappointment_  - making his shoulders drop. And now that he had identified as soon as it started, Jaune knew exactly what was the cause.

He looked back to Pyrrha.  _He didn't want to let go._

His partner had turned her head to the door too, yet she was quick enough to look back to him. Her hesitant expression caught him off guard.

"Jaune…" She started, fidgeting with the strings connected to his hood over his chest. "Do you think… it could be… necessary? To show them? Now?"

"Necessary…" It took one second for him to reach the memory attached to the word. His breath hitched and he decided his answer. "… Y-yeah."

The door of the restaurant opened with a ding as the family exited. Pyrrha gripped on strings of his hoodie as she got closer. His heartbeat muffled every other sound. Jaune watched her close her eyes through his half-lidded ones. Their noses touched. A faint, inviting smell of chocolate still lingered. He felt her warm breath over his lips - they tingled with anticipation. One last push forward. Softness. Electricity sparked from her touch.

Which actually missed the expected target completely. He gasped. Instead of a kiss straight on the lips, he felt the pressure right above it, slight to the side, right at the edge of his cheek.

Still, it lingered. And even after her lips had left his skin, she remained close for a solid second. Rushed breaths mingling in the minuscule space between them. It would take the smallest tilt of head to make a real kiss actually happen…

Of course he didn't do that though. His partner had all the rights, and all the reasons, to hinder herself from actually kissing him if she could. All of this was fake. It had been perfectly set up. Their first kiss had been a real one because there were no other ways to disguise it in such short notice. Yet now, at their angle, any cheek kiss would be perceived as an actual lip lock by someone leaving the restaurant.

Still, he had to contain a questionable whimper as Pyrrha pulled away from their proximity. His skin still tingled with energy, so warm, that it was as if her lips were still there, his throat felt completely clogged, his lips, dry.

Jaune didn't have the time to dwell on his conflicted confusion. His sister calling to them burst their bubble, the joke that followed  _"We leave you guys for one second and you're already over each other"_  completely ended the moment. He groaned embarrassedly, Pyrrha managed to laugh - how she was dealing with all of this so easily was still a mystery. He was able to look at his partner in the face; she gave him one more reassuring smile before breaking their embrace. The curl of her lips was slightly lopsided,  _a smirk,_  barely one, but still enough to be classified as such. His heart did a flip on his chest - she definitely knew something he didn't.

Now he was determined more than ever to find out what that was supposed to be.

He completely let go of her as soon as they started walking, their hands were soon joined back together though. Jaune barely registered that, this time, he was the one who initiated it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I just want to say here that I was absolutely bLOWN aWAY by the feedback I got from the first chapter! Where do I even start? On ff.net I can't believe we reached 100 faves and even more followers in less than a week! I never got so many reviews in such a short time, and even here on AO3, where I'm used to receiving way less feedback, I got surprised by the number of comments! I just want to say that you guys are the best! All of your nice words and faves and kudos are what motivates me to keep going so thank you so much for the support! I think I spent the whole week smiling like an idiot to the reviews page lmao.
> 
> So it would make my day to read your thoughts about this chapter too! Hope you liked it and see you soon!


	3. The Talk

"Did you get all your stuff?"

"Yes, I-"

"You have the right address, right?"

"Of cours-"

"Are you sure you will arrive there in time?"

"I'm s-"

"Ah! Call us if anything happens and don't be nerv-"

"Honey, please!" Terra took her wife's hand between hers. "It's just a boring conference meeting. Everything will be fine."

"A boring conference meeting that could get you promoted!"

"I know and you worry too much." A honk of a car interrupted their conversation. "Look! The taxi is here. I better get going."

"Are you sure you're not forgetting anything?"

Terra stepped forward, placed a kiss on her wife's lips, followed by one on her son's forehead. "Now I'm sure."

She just started turning around to leave when Saphron took her hand. "Good luck there. I love you."

"I love you too." Terra's smile was the softest thing. They let go. She waved goodbye to them as she stepped away, Adrian returned it with a giggle. Then when his mom disappeared inside the car, he whined in confusion.

"Now, now. She will be back soon." Saphron jumped her son on her arms as the car drove away.

_"You guys are disgustingly adorable."_  Jaune mockingly mimicked his sister's voice as she turned to face them.

"What? If you get to be cute with your girlfriend, that means I can be twice as cute with my wife."

"Oh. She got a point." Pyrrha laughed at the sibling bickering.

"Pyr! Don't side with her!" She only rolled her eyes at her partner fake offended tone.

"Anyway, do you guys want to get in for a bit?" Saphron motioned towards the hotel they were standing in front of, then turned to her brother. "I know that you won't be really happy on taking an airship right after you just ate."

"I…" Jaune looked at her, expecting her input. A quick glance telling that he wouldn't mind staying or going home now, she was free to choose. Pyrrha just gave him a nod, and he continued, swaying their joined hands back and forth. "Sure!"

* * *

"Oh, gods…" Her whisper was full of wonder.

"What?" Jaune asked in the same quiet tone, she heard it just fine since they were sitting side by side on the room's tiny couch.

"I think he's falling asleep…" Pyrrha lightly touched her nose to the top of Adrian's head, who was now very comfortably curled up on her lap.

A slow long blink was the baby's contribution to the conversation; the TV turned on his favorite cartoon, the attention he was paying to it had completely faded on the past minutes.

A tiny yawn came out from Adrian, his chubby fist loosening the grip on her shirt. She had to contain a squeal. "He's so adorable..."

Jaune chuckled lightly as he watched them. "Do you want me to take him? To see if Saph wants to put him in bed?"

He hadn't even reached a hand to their direction when Adrian's eyes snapped open, he let out a complaining cry, the closest sound to a  _No!_  that a baby who couldn't speak yet could produce, he shifted on her lap then, facing away from his uncle.

Pyrrha laughed quietly behind Adrian's head. Jaune raised both of his hands in surrender. "Of course. Understandable."

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah?" He said as if it was the most obvious thing. "He likes you more than he likes his own uncle! And you only know him for less than a day! I can't even be surprised by that."

"You say it like he completely hates you! He's just a very friendly baby." Pyrrha rocked him on her arms; Adrian made a tiny sound as if he was agreeing with her. "I have a feeling I'm not the only one he would act like this with."

"Right." Her partner reclined against the backrest, staring at the ceiling, his head now laying right beside hers. "Then explain how I left you alone with my Saph and Terra, two strangers for you, for like, ten minutes? Less? And when I get back you guys are laughing and talking like old friends in a sleepover." He laughed. "Fine, you were making fun of me, but still."

"Jaune, we weren't making fun of you." Pyrrha rolled her eyes. "We performed a choreography out of nowhere in the middle of the dance, it was a fun memory overall."

"Yeah, sure." His tone was supposed to be annoyed, but the hint of a laugh gave him away - he agreed with her. "But no matter what you say, my point still stands."

"And what's your point supposed to be?"

"Okay… it's like..." Jaune made wide gestures as if he was trying to catch words floating in the air. "I think it's something that you have… You… it's just your thing, y'know?"

"My thing?" The words almost didn't come out. Pyrrha turned to face him to see if his expression could lessen her confusion.

The wings of the butterflies in her stomach fluttered in anticipation when Jaune licked his lips before continuing. "It's like…" He leaned his head to her direction, eyes still in the ceiling though, the beginning of a smile barely noticeable. "Like it's impossible to not like you."

All the butterflies took flight in the same second, making a fuss around her whole body. "Oh." His eyes dropped on hers after the monosyllabic reaction, she realized that she probably should say something else too. "Hm… my- me? Why?"

Not much better but oh well.

He let out a chuckle, blush crawling up his cheeks, then shrugged. "You… Just because."

Now it was her turn to laugh, her chest still filled with lightness. "Jaune, I-"

"I know it's, like, super vague, but… I can't really explain." He groaned, shutting his eyes tight for a second, smile still there. "You're just… the coolest person I know… and I already said that to you before… I just can't imagine a reason for someone to not like you."

"I… It's… It's not like that…" Her head dropped, feeling her face burn. Still, Pyrrha couldn't help but feel a contrasting cold in the depths of her stomach, her smile faltered against her will. "People like me… but…" She wasn't able to finish her sentence, feeling bad for ruining the sweet moment. Conclusions similar to those had plagued her mind for years and with worrying frequency, especially before she found her friends at Beacon. That had been her reality - Yes, many people liked her - most of that was just shallow admiration though. Because she was a good fighter, because she was a good student, because she was just  _good at something._

Before she could even try to fix the glum mood she had accidentally created, Jaune immediately started. "They don't count," The conviction on his tone got her to raise her head, almost catching her off guard. Though the thing that  _did_  surprise her was the twitch of his hand just before it mindlessly drifted up, as if he wasn't able to restrain the movement on time, ending in a feathery touch on her cheek, brushing a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. The forward touch conserving his characteristic shyness. "Because those people… they only watch you compete or fight… they really didn't have a chance to  _know_  you."

Her breath came out as a quiet gasp, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest. Those bolder, more intimate moments that flowed naturally, without any stuttering or second guesses, were  _extremely_  rare - and even more if initiated by him. Her founder example being when he took her hand and pulled her in, pressing her against his chest on the dance, swaying her around the ballroom with confidence that wasn't in any way faked, eyes only on her the entire time, getting her to fall for him all over again.

Those moments that never failed to make her believe that he had fallen too.

Pyrrha glanced to his hand as it looped around her ear. When their eyes met again, he blinked, something inside him snapped as his eyes widened in sudden self-consciousness. Jaune recoiled his hand so fast that she heard his joints pop.

"S-sorry, I… it's just... I- I mean… if… if they got to know y-you," The red of his cheeks reached the tip of his ears. Jaune turned his head forward again, shrinking into the couch as if he could disappear between the cushions, eyes on his hands toying with the strings of his hoodie. "T-they would totally like you… f-for the right reasons this time."

Like always… Those moments would pass, she would be falling and he would keep walking over dense concrete. The only thing that she could cling to was her persistent hope - which only grew with each moment.

So Pyrrha couldn't be upset because of all his retreats. She knew that even with all the cover up stuttering, everything he said was sincere, because he never denied his words after. Jaune never looked like he regretted, just… confused, and maybe even surprised, by his own actions, as if he didn't know how to deal with his feelings, or afraid that her reaction afterward could be negative.

Also, he was always a flustered mess after, and Pyrrha would never deny - he just looked so adorable when flustered. The reaction always bringing a smile and warmth to her face.

"Jaune, I… that's…" She shook her head lightly with a breathy laugh. Those moments nearly pushed her over the edge, almost getting her to give up on any trace of subtlety, never wanting so badly to let him know exactly how much his words meant to her, how much him liking her for the right reasons meant to her, how much  _he_  meant to her.

Maybe that's why when the urge to move forward came, Pyrrha didn't restrain herself this time. She kissed him right in the middle of his flushed cheek, Jaune gasped with the contact, and her lips curled into a smile right before she pulled away. Pressing her forehead to his temple for a second, she whispered before fully restoring the previous distance. "Thank you."

For a moment, she thought she had broken him. But then he blurted out, a shouted whisper raising in pitch. "I-is S-saph w-watching us?!"

Pyrrha tilted her head. "No...? Why?"

"Y-you… You k-kissed me… I- I t-thought..." His voice dwindled before he finished the sentence.

"Oh. She's not." She let out a soft laugh when his oblivious eyes fell on hers. Pyrrha tried not to smirk. "I just thought it was... necessary… for the right reasons this time."

She could hear the gears on his brain trying to unveil the implications on her words while trying to formulate a reply - mouth moving with unfinished syllables and blush as bright as ever.

Jaune didn't have the time to get anything out, because Saphron's victorious shout snapped him out of his paralysis. "Ha! I knew it had to be somewhere!"

They both jumped, whipping their heads at Saphron emerging from the doorframe. "Sorry for taking so long guys. I did find the medicine though."

"Ah. T-thanks, Saph." Her partner managed to speak out.

"Do you want to take it now? To let it work its effect before getting into the airship?" Saphron continued, oblivious of the interruption she had caused, heading behind the counter that served as a divisor for the living room and the dining room.

Jaune glanced at Pyrrha for a second, seeming a bit distressed by the discontinuation of their talk, to turn back at his sister after. She hid the smile to his flustered state on Adrian's hair. The baby hadn't even stir on her lap during the whole time. "Y-yeah. That works." He got up from the couch with a stumble. "Uh, first… where is the bathroom?"

Saphron gave him the directions with a point of a finger, and in a blink of an eye, he was gone.

His sister kept watching Jaune go before she turned to Pyrrha. Saphron just shrugged then, raising a hand in a question.

Pyrrha could only shrug back. The butterflies on her stomach seemingly not planning to settle down any time soon.

He was getting there; she was sure of it.

* * *

"Jaune, can you pass me that glass over there?"

"Ah. Here." He almost didn't catch his sister's request, handing over the utensil without even turning to her direction.

"Jaune, that's a knife."

"Oh... S-sorry. Here."

There were a few seconds of silence. His hand went back to serve as support to his chin, elbow propped over the counter, feet rhythmically bumping against the leg of the tall stool he was sittings on, eyes glazing on a fixed spot, a light sensation promptly filled his chest; he was already drifting again, then Saphron's light chuckle reached him.

"Jealous, baby brother? Or just thinking about the future?"

The teasing fully awakened him. Finally dawning on him at what exactly he had been staring for the last minutes. The room's tiny couch, his partner still there, Adrian sound asleep on her lap while she idly checked her scroll, serene expression highlighted by the afternoon glow coming from the window, a satisfied smile on her face, a fading blush in her cheeks, free hand soothingly going up and down the baby's back, and even if he couldn't hear from this distance and over the sound of the TV, he was sure that she was humming.

"W-what? Of course I'm- I'm  _not_  jealous of a baby!" The complete processing of her second question made his face burn. "And n-no! Why would I think about that I- I don't know what you're talking about!

His sister found his exasperation hilarious for some reason. "Really? Together for half a year and you don't know what I'm talking about?"

"I- Wh- Ju- Just because  _you_  got engaged after, like, eight months of dating doesn't mean I will too!" Jaune whispered between his teeth, making sure his voice couldn't be heard all the way to the couch.

"Oh! So you did think about it, huh?" She placed the glass back in front of him, now full of water, right beside the motion sickness medicine.

He groaned in mortification, burying his face in his hands. His sister only snickered. "C'mon, you don't think she's  _the one?"_

Jaune raised his head then, palms still over his cheeks, which still tingled with heat at the sight of his  _girlfriend_. Saphron's tone of voice meant that her question was supposed to be taken as a joke; still, the words pierced him with an unexpected intensity.

The reply came out as a meek whisper, without him even fully acknowledging it. "If… Even if I believed that she is… how can I know for sure that she thinks the same about me?"

"Oh..." The mocking demeanor left his sister completely. "… I see..." She let out a sigh and patted him on the shoulder gently - Jaune knew that by her gestures, she had shifted to her  _Big Sister Mode_. "You never gave yourself enough credit, Jaune. But if you two are together for this long, still acting that adorable, and, most importantly, if your feelings are sincere, then…" She left the final words hanging on the air, after a chuckle, she continued. "But I'll tell you... By the way she talked about you to me and Terra when we were alone, hers sure seems to be."

"What." The word came out completely deadpan. A shiver went through his nerves, causing every hair on his body to stand up as if he had just stuck his hands in a bucket of ice. He sharply turned to her direction. "W-what did she... H-how can you be so sure about t-that?"

"See? This is what I'm talking about! It looks like we are trading gossip about your school crush, not your actual girlfriend." Saphron laughed. "And I'm just sure… because she talks about you the same way you talk about her."

His stupefied expression made his sister roll her eyes. "Yes, little brother." She talked slowly as if speaking to a child not understanding their homework. "Shall I remember you how did I found out you were dating?"

"Wait-" Jaune felt his whole being burn with embarrassment.

"There were us, just talking about life… I talked about my wife… You talked about your  _partner_ …" Her voice had a serious tone, but you could still see the tremble of a denied smirk. "Then in a point of the conversation, I said that Terra was  _the most amazing girl in the whole world…"_

"Saaaph…" He shrunk on the stool.

"Then you just laughed at my face like that was the stupidest thing you had ever heard and said, and I repeat,  _you're wrong, sister, because the most amazing girl in the whole world is right here."_  Her serious facade broke with her chuckles. "I still have no idea of how you kept your relationship hidden for so long if that was all that took for you to finally spill the truth."

"Wait… you…How did you know there was  _truth to spill?!"_  Jaune straightened his back, voice cracking. "Were you doing that on purpose?!"

Saphron opened her mouth as if she was going to deny, but then she closed it when he glared at her, she shook her head in defeat. "Ok, fine! At first, I was just playing with you, then I started to suspect, then it was on purpose. I was just expecting a school crush though… Not a secret girlfriend!" She raised her hands in surrender.

He just huffed in indignation for have fallen for his sister's trickeries. He should have known she would do something like that.

"Oh c'mon, Jaune. It was adorable!" She gushed, ruffling his hair.

"Saph, stooop, I don't trust you anymore!" Jaune tried to swat her hand away, she only laughed.

"Okay, but jokes aside…" She rubbed his shoulder affectionately; he slumped over the counter, annoyance fading with her soothing tone of voice. "I'm really happy for you. I guess… coming to Beacon was the right decision after all. I have to say that I never saw you so happy before... The way you talk about this place, about your friends, about your team,  _about her..._  It's obvious that there's a lot of love there..."

"I… Uh... T-thank you Saph…" He was taken aback a little by the sudden sincere moment, but even more by the word usage on her last statement. His eyes dropped again on the couch without him even thinking, the sparks of energy that jolted from his chest were starting were turning into a familiar sensation. A quick shake of head, and he continued. "S-so, you don't think anymore that this is some kind of elaborate scheme?"

"Nah." Saphron scoffed, massing with his hair a bit too roughly. "I believe you. And honestly,  _you?_  Tricking me for  _this long?_  Right."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Jaune shook her hand off. He tried not to sound smug, containing the urge to jump and announce " _guess what? You're completely wrong and I did trick you for this long!"_

"Nothing! Now take your medicine. You don't want to miss your flight." There was a smack on the back of his head before she rounded the counter to the living room to check on her son.

Jaune gulped the water after taking the pill, his smile faded, his expression went blank, and his chest felt warmly heavy, the sensation was uncomfortable. He took a deep breath. That… was a lot of information, and he didn't know how he was going to deal with it.

He felt as if his mind was only full of TV static, his capacity to process fully the words taken away from him somehow.

So Jaune just released the breath, placing the now empty glass back in the counter. Trying his best to clean his mind by pushing down the cluttered information.

When he didn't succeed, he wasn't exactly surprised.

* * *

He wouldn't call it a crush.

They were more like… intrusive thoughts… that adamantly popped up without warning once in a while.

There were the perceptions. A fleeting moment in which he realized that her laugh was adorable, or that there were specks of gold between the shades of green of her eyes, how she pouted slightly when she was bored, how her head leaned to the side as she tied her hair up in the morning, how her lips twitched discreetly before executing the final move in a fight, how her shoulders dropped with the released tension when taking a break during their training...

But that was normal, right? She was the person he spent most of his time with, so noticing some of her habits was just an expected outcome.

Then there were the speculations, quick questions flashing through his mind unexpectedly, and the strange urges, unusual suggestions made by the pits of his consciousness. Her hand was  _right there_  and he wondered how holding it would be; she had her back turned to him, and he felt like he should stretch forward to run his fingers through her hair; she was sitting right by his side in the rooftop, and there was a whisper telling him to get closer and maybe lean on her shoulder; his sister thought that they were dating, and he wondered what kissing her would be like… and even if he convinced himself so, that wasn't exactly the first time that specific scenario crawled up from the back of his mind.

He didn't want to call it a crush.

Because it wasn't! They were just overly specific, excessively analytic random thoughts and Jaune felt bad about thinking this kind of stuff about his best friend. Because it intensified right when he got over Weiss as if his heart felt the urgent need for a new person to pin after, pushing him towards the nearest person and his partner just happened to be there! And he felt angry at himself about it.

_It's only a silly superficial infatuation,_  he rationalized with himself,  _it will pass soon_. So Jaune basically trained himself to, every time something like that happened, just brush it off, ignore it as fast as possible and go on with his life. And it worked!

Sometimes, the thoughts still happened, they were unavoidable, he found himself using the word  _adorable_  to describe her actions, sometimes his stare would linger a bit, or he would feel a rush of lightness on his stomach. Yet, he didn't bother to acknowledge those moments, they were gone just as fast as they had come. And he was sure that it was starting to fade… becoming less frequent…

So, with all of that, asking her to help with a fake dating scheme the best option? Theoretically, no. Honestly, though, he wouldn't trust anyone else with this, he couldn't even imagine any of his other friends by his side in the situations they were into for the past hours, having his partner there all the times was, somehow, extremely comforting.

Pyrrha always had this effect over him now that he thought about it, a supportive aura, whatever the situation was, telling him that he could do this, it would be all right, just keep moving forward.

He was supposed to feel relieved, glad that the day was over, that he didn't have to spit a lie between each sentence or so, that his sister wasn't judging him anymore - she had said that she believed him, he should feel triumphant for his successful plan! Still, Jaune was antsy, his breathing felt unnatural, his heartbeat had turned into loud background noise. So unintentionally seeking that feeling of support of hers, he felt his hand moving in a light squeeze, only realizing he had done so after his grip relaxed, and then she squeezed back.

"Jaune, are you okay?" They were already waiting to catch their flight back to Beacon, blocks away from his sister's eyes, still, they were holding hands, having left the hotel room like so, and neither of them made any move to let go during the short walk.

"I'm fine." Jaune replied automatically, trying a smile to ease her concern. Pyrrha's expression didn't soften though, so he continued, free hand going to the back of his head. "I'm just a bit tired I guess. And a little nervous to see if this sickness medicine will actually work."

"I'm sure it will." She assured with a light chuckle, before turning her head forward. "And it was a long day indeed."

"Y-yeah." Jaune saw a faint, almost unperceptive, blush appearing on her cheeks, causing his own to heat up. He felt like he should say something else, though nothing came to his mind until the pause turned long enough that, at this point, any addition from his part would be awkward.

The silence between then didn't have the time to turn uncomfortable. The airship was ready to take flight, and the passengers were allowed entrance.

"Well..." He let out a sigh, hand lingering on hers before he performed weak squeeze, and then Jaune regrettably let go as they entered the boarding docks. "Let's see how this is going to go."

They sat in the far back to avoid the eyes of any Beacon students that were on the same flight as them, thankfully not many people were taking this ride. He automatically shifted to his  _flight stance_ , elbows on knees, head between his hands and fixed gaze. Feeling Pyrrha's hand on his back, he was able to relax a bit.

Then they were leaving the ground, he anticipated the uncomfortable burble inside his stomach as they acquired altitude. Jaune blinked, hesitantly moving his eyes to the side -  _nothing_ , the sensation didn't come.

"So...?" His partner asked after he breathed a chuckle.

"I... I can't believe I didn't find out about this before!" He stretched his back, sitting up carefully to make sure he wouldn't suffer a sudden relapse. "I can actually look at stuff!"

He could feel the airship speeding up and making a curve in the sky. Jaune dared to look out the window, that would be the riskiest of moves usually, yet now he was able to see the sun fitting between the mountains as it set without any drawbacks, his only feeling a childlike excitement. "I can look outside!" He turned his head to the opposite direction. "I can look at people without making them think I'm dying!" He laughed, turning his head once again. "I can look at you!"

"Me?" Her mouth opened in a breathy giggle. "We look at each other all day, Jaune, we live together."

"I… I know but…" He tilted his head as he trailed off. Pyrrha was occupying the window seat; behind her, the sunset light peeked from the mountains, coloring the clouds pink, pouring inside the airship, an orange glow that softened everything it touched. It made the greens of her eyes stand out; he could pinpoint the somehow highlighted golden dots. It made the red of her hair seem alive; as if he got close, it would feel warm like a pleasing flame. It caressed her skin, and so perfectly, as if the entire world was shifting to fit her characteristics colors. It accentuated her rising blush, getting him to notice it had been a few seconds since his attention had drifted and he hadn't even finished his sentence.

Jaune cleared his throat, diverting his eyes away. "B-but still… You should still count on the list." A chuckle accompanied by a sheepish shrug. "You  _are_  something that I can look at."

"I suppose you're right." Pyrrha laughed, shaking her head lightly. "Do you want to switch places? So you can see outside better?"

He pondered for a second, then nodded before he could reconsider - the change would make his task of  _not staring_  a hundred times easier. Jaune scooted to the side on the bench as she got up to go around him. For a split of second, the thought of lacing his arms around her waist, pull her to sit on his lap, hug her with her back pressed against his chest, head snuggled on his shoulder as he rested his cheek on top of it, so they could watch the sunset together crossed through his mind, just to be promptly shushed away with the least of acknowledgments.

Soon he had his forehead placed against the glass. The view was breathtaking. Still, at the same time he felt like this was his first complete flight experience, something… was missing.

It wasn't just that she had moved and caused an incomplete view. His skin tingled with hypersensitivity, yearning for something that wasn't there, something that had been with him during the whole day, and something that had always been present on his air trips.

Then, as if she could read his mind, Jaune felt her hand on his back, her touch gently circling between his shoulder blades. Her voice hinting a checking concern. "Still good?"

Jaune wasn't able to hold back the pleased sigh, his posture immediately softened under the caress he had just been thinking about. He was able to get a word out as a whispered reply. "Better."

"I told you it would work." There was a quiet chuckle. Then her touch was suddenly gone, his half-lidded eyes snapped open, his body stiffened, and to live up to his momentary inability to keep any sound for himself, he let out a whimpered complaint.

Her eyebrows raised and he coughed in an attempt to cover up the sound, her hand had been hovering on the air but soon descend again to give him pats on the back "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Y-yes!" He choked out between his final coughs. "S-sorry, I was just… I- I guess I got used to you… y'know," He lifted the shoulder where her hand was placed, his voice almost disappearing as he continued. "I… wasn't expecting you to stop…"

"Oh." A small laugh. "I see…" Her touch resumed, soothing circles between his shoulders, even if his face was on fire because he had basically asked her to continue, that didn't prevent him to enjoy it any less.

"Thank you." The murmur was almost as inaudible as her hummed reply.

The serenity of the moment almost drove him into sleep, his tiredness fully catching up to him, yet Jaune kept his eyes as open as he could, admiring the view, watching the Beacon Cliffs approaching, the lights of the Beacon Tower now discernable in the distance.

Maybe that's why when he felt an additional weight on his shoulder, he didn't even flinch. Just feeling a smile coming, he glanced to his partner now resting against him. Her tired eyes shifted from the window to his own, they seemed to catch the afternoon light just the right way. His heart did some uncoordinated flips and his gaze dropped to his lap, her free hand was just  _right there_  over the leg that was touching his. His own hand twitched over his thigh, then without thinking, he turned his palm upwards. She understood, and they met halfway, fingers falling between each other as if they were made for that, curling over the other's hand in a perfect hold, softening with the contact without the pressure of having to be a convincing act - because this time, it wasn't one.

His palm didn't felt sweaty, just warm, comforting, familiar, right.

For the first time in his entire life, Jaune cursed the fact that the flight was a short one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now you know where the title came from yay. And wow I always struggle with titles. The only fic that I knew how I was going to name before starting to write it was my dog faunus!Jaune one, because seriously, it was a pretty obvious choice sdjkgh I was already expecting for this one to have a lame title, but then I was rereading this chapter before writing an upcoming scene, and I was like I can't believe I didn't notice this before it's perfect!
> 
> Ah! And before closing up for the day, at FF.net a guest asked me in the reviews what are the status of the War/Cinder/Amber on this and I thought I might as well share the answer here too. And I have to say, every single one of my fics published until now, I wrote blatantly ignoring those things lmao. I never stop to think about it, and sincerely, I believe that there is no need. This is only a fake dating AU trope fic, this work and coincidentally all my previous ones, are light, fluffy things that can be read by a person without worrying about those characters and plot points. So yeah, nothing bad ever happened here.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope you liked the chapter, would absolutely love to know what you guys thought about it and see you soon! :D


	4. The Practice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to update this tomorrow, but you guys were so nice in the comments and seemed excited for the next part - and some bit distraught by the slow burn-ish tone of this fic :) (tho I don't know if this chapter will make it better or worse honestly...) - and I was very excited myself for this one too since when I wrote it. That was more than enough to break my deep habit of wanting to follow schedules lmao.
> 
> Won't keep you guys any longer, let's go!

By the way her partner was acting, he gave the impression walking into Beacon grounds was the same as crossing the finish line of a big race. The emerging stars finally sealed the long day, the lampposts lighted the path up as if they were spotlights, his steps were sloppy from exhaustion, yet Jaune carried a somewhat of victorious stance, his muscles relaxed with satisfaction after a sigh and he smiled triumphantly.

"I can't believe that worked!" The smile grew until it turned into a giggle as he opened his arms in a baffled gesture. His tone of voice hinted his drowsiness, but his actions oozed excitement.

Pyrrha laughed at his enthusiasm, hand raising to her mouth. She was sure he was half-prone to pass out face first on the grass and stay lying there, or jump around like a puppy who had just been let out in a big yard. "We should definitely get the name of that medicine then. I never expected to see you so happy about a flight."

"No, no it's not that- I mean… not just that!" Jaune basically skipped as he walked. "I'm talking about our plan!"

"Oh! Yes. That." Pyrrha tilted her head. "You didn't believe it was going to work?"

"No! I mean, yes! It's just… I never tricked my sister for this long with something this big!"

"Ah. I see…" Her eyes dropped to the ground as she crossed her arms, smile faltering. She didn't know why hearing the word  _tricked_  had bothered her so much. Especially after how he acted on the airship, where they had no obligation of passing the couple act to anyone… she had been so sure then…

"And you…" His voice made her raise her head. Jaune had circled around her, walking backward as he positioned himself by her front. "You were amazing there!"

She only blinked at his sincere smile, then a giggle escaped and Pyrrha shook her head after he almost tripped because of his unusual walking manner.

"No, really!" He spun back to her side. His hand raised to rub the back of his neck followed by a quiet chuckle. "I don't even know how much I can thank you. You probably have a lot more of dating experience than me, so without you, I would have messed everything up in a second!" He shrugged his shoulders awkwardly. "I had no idea of what I was doing most of the time."

Pyrrha had enough self-control not to burst out laughing at the absurd his assumption was, just smiling instead. "I... I already said to you that you don't need to thank me that much, Jaune." A chuckle came out as a puff of air, full of amusement. "And sincerely, I definitely don't have a slither of all that  _experience_  you presume I have."

"Wait, really?" Jaune stopped, then he had to jog a few steps to catch up to her, motioning his arms to her direction. "B-but you are-"

Her heart dropped. She knew that tone, she knew those words, she knew what was coming next, so she automatically completed the sentence.

 _"Pyrrha Nikos."_  Her tone became flat. She let out a heavy sigh, next words coming under her breath. "… I know."

"No! That's not what I was going to say!" His tone of voice raised to fix the misunderstanding. He turned to her and Pyrrha stopped walking, Jaune's distraught expression after her assumption made a pang of shame hit her chest. "That's not what I meant. It's just… y-you are- you're so…" Some indistinguishable noises and vague gesturing completed his sentence, his eyes flickered everywhere but to her direction, until she was able to catch his gaze and he stopped.

His expression distinctly softened together with the tiniest tilt of head, her heart leaped on her chest as the blush made itself noticeable on his skin, her own matching his colors under his curious yet soft stare. His eyes retained a flicker of what Pyrrha could only classify as frustration about his stuttered unfinished sentence. Still, there was a layer of determination - as if he knew what he wanted to say, but something hindered the release of any words.

Then he blinked, averting her eyes, the already strong blush intensifying, and Jaune finally spoke up. "I- I just thought that because you are so… confident all the time… Y-you just seemed to know what to do… and how to do… just at the right moments..."

"Oh." She uncrossed her arms, gaze dropping to the ground. "I'm sorry… for assuming what you were about to say…" She raised her head then, shrugging her shoulders together with a weak laugh. "And I just did what it felt… right at the moment. Can't say that I had practice before…"

He let out a breathy chuckle, causing her to raise an eyebrow. "Sorry. It's still a little hard to believe that."

Pyrrha leaned her head to the side in a request for him to elaborate. The way Jaune shifted his weight on his feet, eyes wandering once more, indicated he caught her sign.

"It's- It's just… because y-you…" He made small gestures as he searched for words, the bright color not leaving his cheeks at any moment. Jaune pointed over his shoulder, to their dorm in the background. "Y-You… pushed me against a wall… And you-" More vague motioning completed the sentence. As soon as Pyrrha detected where he was going, her whole body tingled as if it was burning. "... Very  _confidently_ , y'know."

"Ah." She tensed up and that was the only thing that left her mouth at the moment. Apparently, her reaction didn't contribute to ease her partner's flustered state, his almost shameful expression snapped her out of her stupor. "Oh, gods. I'm sorry! I… was that too forceful?" Pyrrha lowered her head to hide her own burning face, hand swiping to the side a fallen strand of hair. "I'm sorry I just thought… I was just trying to-"

"No, no!" He waved his hands, noticing her embarrassment. "It was fine! I swear! It was really smart actually. It made my sister leave and gave us time to plan some stuff and all. And if it wasn't for that I would probably mess everything up really quickly. I wouldn't know what to say or what to do or how to act or-" He interrupted his own rambling, arms heavily falling to his sides as he calmed down his hands. "I wouldn't know… I never dated before…"

His words and lower tone sparked something into her mind, a connection that caused a heavy sensation to drop in her stomach. Pyrrha crossed her arms again, a wave of guilt soon washed through her body. "Oh Jaune… was that…" She made herself to stare directly at him despite her growing embarrassment. Her shoulders scrunched as she quietly finished her question. "…Was that… your first kiss?"

Jaune went dead silent, expression completely blank. She hoped his reaction was because he was processing how her question could have been stupid and he would laugh and say  _Of course not!_

"I…" He started too hesitantly. The second he looked down to avoid her eyes, posture hunching as if he was trying to make himself smaller, with the tips of his ears turning red, made her guess to be completely invalidated. After a small lick of lips, Jaune shyly glanced back to her. "… Was it that obvious?"

Her shoulders dropped, but then Pyrrha quickly spoke up after her reaction made him flinch slightly. "No, no! It wasn't, that's why I asked! I… I just should have-" The uncomfortable lump on her throat caused her loss of words.

She should have asked first before acting so hastily at the dorm, now she could only apologize though. Yet, the words were stuck on her mouth. Pyrrha didn't want him to think that it was because she regretted kissing him, but because Jaune probably believed that kiss was nothing more than a mere heartless act, and he deserved so much more than that.

"Hey, I already said that it was fine." He started, probably understanding the cause of her distress; his gentle tone eased her concern. "I knew that with this plan something like that could happen…" Jaune diverted his gaze, hand going to his neck, sheepishly looking down at his feet, Pyrrha could swear she saw the tremble of a smile, though his lowered head made it hard to be sure. "And… I… Y-you're my closest friend… I- I don't mind… that it was with you…"

She only noticed she was hugging herself a bit too tight when she allowed a held breath to escape then, almost as a gasp. Even with being followed by the label of friend, his last statement made her chest be filled with warmth - he knew of the possibility and he had trusted her with the situation. Pyrrha felt a small smile coming. "Well… I… If it makes you feel better… I don't mind that mine was with you either."

He looked back at her, there was a second of silence, then he let out a small chuckle, eyebrows raised in perplexed confusion. "I- what?"

The urge to roll her eyes was too strong to contain. Her partner was still just standing there, looking completely baffled and with blush so obvious, that Pyrrha almost could feel the warmth irradiating from him. "Jaune, is it that hard to believe? I grew up without any close friends… So having someone I felt comfortable enough to…" She trailed off, giving him a shrug and feeling her throat go dry - that was a bit too close to a confession.

"Ah… N-no. It's j-just…" Jaune finally unfroze, shaking his head as he ran a hand through his flushed face, his stuttering turned into a laugh. "How can you be instantly fantastic at everything you do?"

His last words echoed inside her mind a few times before she could fully process them.  _Fantastic_. That was what he thought about their kiss! Her heart was beating so fast she was sure it was possible for him to hear it, every single nerve of her body went numb with heat, the need to smile was too strong for her to contain, so when she felt her lips quivering, Pyrrha instinctively buried her reddening face into her palms. Her words came out as an indistinguishable mumble. "Oh my god, Jaune."

"Oh dust! Pyr, I-" He stammered after a weighty second, until giving up with a loud embarrassed groan. Pyrrha then heard something that could it be his hand being slapped over his forehead.

She finally raised her head after managing to control her silly grin, letting out a puff of air to cool down. Her partner was the usual flustered mess, his hand slid down from his forehead to his mouth. Their eyes met for a second before Jaune looked away to the side, his lively blush reached his neck.

So she did the only thing she had the mind to do the moment. She started to laugh.

The breathy chuckles had grown into loud giggles by the time he joined her. So they were the only two students in sight, standing in the middle of one of the courtyard's paths, laughing like idiots, with red faces and stuttered words.

"I'm sorry!"

"N-no. I'm sorry."

"No! It's okay, really!"

"I just… That wasn't what-"

"Jaune, it's fine."

"Fine?"

"Yes, we are fine."

"O-okay." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to contain his laughs, though the curl of his lips stayed. "Fine."

She let out a final quiet giggle, his eyes opened with the sound and for a few seconds, they just stood there, smiling at each other, neither daring to break the comfortable silence. Her heart skipped a beat when she registered they were standing closer than when they had first stopped walking, vaguely remembering that they had approached during their talk - one step forward and they would be nose to nose. He had that look on his face again - the same lasting soft stare that he gave her in the airship and then once more a few minutes ago, the one that contained the words apparently he was never able to get out, and that only made her even more eager to hear them.

As usual, Jaune was the one who broke their eye contact. "So..." After clearing his throat, he started with a lazy shrug, lousily kicking a lump of grass sprouting in the sidewalk, the shadow of his smile and the color on his cheeks still there. "Do you think that we… I mean… with that… will it be okay if we have to do that again?" The blush intensified - on both of their faces - and he avoided her eyes. "F-for my sister. Tomorrow. She probably will call us again. Before she leaves. And if you want to go... There is a chance…"

"Oh." She bit her lip to repress a smile, reassuring him with familiar words. "If... it's necessary… I don't mind."

He blinked; his expression was an intriguing mix of embarrassment, surprise, and disbelief. As if he just realized what exactly he had asked from her and that she had agreed.

"O-okay. J-just… let me know… before we do it? I don't want to, hm… mess up… It's not like we can get practice like with hand holding." Jaune chuckled nervously, yet she could identify a shine of excitement on his eyes.

"O-of course." She nodded, feeling her heartbeat loud on her ears. This felt even more surreal than when they came up with their fake love story.  _Was he really implying that he wanted to kiss her again?_  She managed to stop herself from licking her dry lips, though at the cost that she was unable to restrain her next words. "And we could practice…"

"W-what?" The word came out as a single breath. His expression was unreadable.

"I just meant… there  _is_  a way to practice." Her face probably matched the color of her hair; the faint breeze that passed through the courtyard felt like the most refreshing of winds and was deeply appreciated since every inch of her was burning. Still, Pyrrha gathered the courage to proceed. "It… could help in not appearing too surprised in front of your sister if we have to do it again…"

Jaune didn't answer her immediately, so she did her absolute best to not give in to the urge of breaking their eye contact. She wanted to take in his reaction, needed to know if he really wanted this, believe that this was actually happening.

Pyrrha watched his gaze drop to her lips, and her breath hitched.  "Y-yeah. Okay." Jaune raised his head, shyly meeting her eyes again. "H-how...?"

 _He had actually agreed!_  His question was what prevented herself from just closing the distance between them where they stood. So shaking her head a bit, she then looked around the open yard before making up her mind.

Pyrrha took his hand - it felt excruciatingly warm - and dragged Jaune behind her without a word.

She had a fake kiss to make up for.

* * *

 Jaune could only stumble as he followed his partner, trying to keep up with her committed steps. He had a hunch on the airship but now he was absolutely sure of it - the pills his sister gave him could only cause you to act without thinking, or induce hallucinations, or  _both!_

Had he just hinted that he wanted to kiss her again? And then she said they could practice? And then he  _accepted?!_  This felt like a weird dream, maybe Pyrrha was actually tugging him to the infirmary because the medicine gave him some severe side effects and he was about to pass out.

As an instinct, he gave her hand a light squeeze; she was both the cause of his agitation and the most effective way to ease his anxieties. She returned the tight grip and Jaune couldn't roll with the dream excuse anymore - this was real and it was happening.

To his not so much surprise, he actually calmed down a bit with her touch. Barely. Yet now he could feel the cold of nervousness being replaced by the warm waves of energy that had only grown in intensity through the day, overwhelming him with anticipation.

He was wondering where their final destination was supposed to be when the path heading towards their dorm building came to view; instinctively stepping to the direction of the door, a tug to the side got him back on her track.

They dived into the alley formed by the two adjacent buildings. Thinking that they were just passing through as a shortcut, Jaune bumped into her as she abruptly stopped.

"Sorry!" They whispered at the same time. He had to hold back a chuckle.

"I… hm, thought here might be good? There are no windows on this side of the buildings, and it's dark… I think people will only see us if they are intentionally looking for something…" Pyrrha tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, it slid back to the front of her face though, the urge to fix that for her was almost unbearable. "But if you want… we can go somewhere else? Maybe the roof?"

"Uh… N-no. It's okay. Here, I mean."

Pyrrha only nodded, the way her searching stare pierced him made his mouth go completely dry.

"Are you sure yo-"

"Yes." Jaune was taken aback completely by his own too quick reply. Her surprise was clear too, though her expression soon softened with a small curl of lips.

"Alright then." Pyrrha giggled softly and he felt his heart do an out of rhythm double beat. "Ready?"

"I-if you are…" He managed to speak out the raspy words. Jaune quickly cleared his throat, releasing a breath that had been uncomfortable to hold all this time.

 _Done this before_. They  _had_  done this before. He didn't need to feel this nervous.

A tug on his arm and Jaune only followed with quiet steps, curious eyes locked on hers as if they were circling each other during a training spar, as Pyrrha guided him into whatever position she wanted him to be; though her stare lacked the pre-battle fierceness, being replaced by something he didn't dare to name, yet equally intense. Turning his back to the wall, a soft touch on his shoulder gently instigated him to lean against it - it felt extremely familiar, and at the same time, it was a striking contrast to the hasty shove at the dorm

The concrete against his back was icy and harsh. Then Pyrrha took a step forward, letting go of his hand - they were just as close when they pretended to kiss in front of the restaurant - and every single one of his senses was filled with warmth, overcoming any traces of cold and discomfort as did a rising sun after a wintry night. His arms moved almost on its own, maybe induced by the memory, resting on the sides of her waist with the most superficial of touches. Jaune dared a glance directly at her, there was a tiny nod, and he found the motivation to hold her fully, unintentionally pulling her closer as his hands found themselves falling on the valleys of her back.

The breath she let out when their bodies pressed together was audible. The hand that had been on his shoulder curved following its shape in a wandering touch. Her other hand traveled up to his chest, then it stopped right above his heart, he was sure that Pyrrha rested her palm there intentionally, feeling his erratic heartbeat under the light pressure - the small knowing curl of her lips after she raised her head only confirmed his suspicions.

Jaune arrived at the conclusion that having the wall to lean against was for the best. The smile retained her ever-caring nature, though it carried a charming trace of playfulness, eyes crinkling up on their sides by her raised cheeks, which now displayed a lovely shade of pink, matching so well with the lively crimson of her hair. A hand strayed from her waist without him noticing, fingertips timidly brushing that same strand of hair behind her ear. This time, it stayed, giving him an even clearer picture of her eyes lighting up after the touch.

Gods, she was so stunningly beautiful. His body trembled together with each breath, with each heartbeat, as his half-lidded eyes flickered around her face, taking the opportunity to absorb everything - a chance denied to him at the dorm. Their noses touched in a feathery contact, his hovering hand lowered, arms hugging her a bit tighter to steady himself. There was a slight tilt of her head, his nose caressed hers with the delicate shift of position, her rushed breath tickled his lips, Jaune had to run his tongue over them, parting slightly in expectation.

Yet, she didn't advance further. There was no rush, and he had no complaints about the cautious rhythm. Neither did Pyrrha, apparently. For a lasting second, he could only stare at her, relishing on the feel of her just as eager pulse with the proximity of their bodies, completely mesmerized by her willingness, by her patience, by her touches, by her sheer beauty.

Then, with a questioning tilt of head, Jaune managed to silent ask if she really wanted this for a final time. Her reply was the gentle caress on his nose, gaze dropping, the hand that had been placed over his chest rising until it was cupping his neck. He let his forehead rest on hers, feeling the spreading warmth of her palm over his frenetic pulse, as he watched Pyrrha close her eyes before doing the same.

The first touch was nothing more than a tentative brush. He heard a faint gasp. The brief contact was enough for a spark to ignite through his whole body. Her hand curled around the back of his neck, instigating him to be closer, and Jaune took the sign to go further.

The second touch was a shy, lasting pressure, feeling if he pushed too hard, he would make everything dismantle around him, slipping through his fingers as it would the thinnest grains of sand. It continued for enough seconds for Jaune to feel like he could combust any moment now. Her lips were so tender and warm, he didn't recall them feeling like this at the dorm. Maybe because now he didn't count with the shock factor, enabling him to fully appreciate the gentle contact.

They parted, mouths still brushing together in an eager shadow of touch. The distance was just enough for a single short breath. Pyrrha was back to him right after the settling touches and experimental strokes, which served as confirmation to the reality of the moment, catching his bottom lip just as deep as their first kiss, this time though, way softer, yet retaining her breathtaking conviction. His heart wildly jumped against his chest. Finally, Jaune abandoned any remaining uneasiness or hesitation, allowing himself loose into her lips completely.

His breath was released as a sigh. His hands dared to roam up her back as her fingers raised from his neck to his hair, feeling her nails opening a path through the messy strands, leaving behind a wonderful prickling sensation as a trail, getting his muscles to lose any residual tension instantly, as if she eased the intense burning on his skin with strokes as tender as fresh running water, even if she was the cause of the burn in the first place. Pyrrha hummed contently against his lips with his reaction, and he instinctively leaned his head to the side as her fingers drifted erratically through his hair, hugging her closer, feeling the sculpted curves of her back relaxing under his palms' careful touch.

Their first kiss had been good - or as he had said earlier,  _fantastic_  even - so his current situation was nearly indescribable, now he was free from any panicked, mind blocking, stunned sensation, enabling him to take in everything.

Overwhelming in the perfect amount. Every movement of her lips made his body shake, yet he had never felt so steady by having her this close. Even if their mouths fumbled in an inexperienced rhythm for some fleeting seconds, it never felt more perfect, only making the moment when they matched again infinitely more satisfying.

Her perfume invaded his nostrils, sweetly metallic, earthly spicy, bronze and cinnamon - two scents he now exclusively associated with her. The taste of chocolate lingered faintly over her lips, a spark of familiarity was caused by the now ghostly taste of cherries; her lipstick had faded slightly during the day, though the memory of their first kiss brought the sensation back.

Pyrrha let out sighs against his lips and he could feel his legs quivering, she softly tugged on the strands of hair on the back of his neck and he wasn't able to contain a sound from the back of his throat, she pulled him close with a grip on his hoodie and he could only do her bidding, discovering it was possible for them to be even closer, she nibbled on his lip and Jaune knew that any attempt to prevent a gasp would be futile, feeling her own curling against him in what he could swear it was a smirk.

Jaune gasped sharply, almost as a whine as Pyrrha pulled away from him. Though maybe it was for the best, after all, air was something they needed to survive, and if it wasn't for her, he would have completely forgotten about that little detail.

His panted breaths were uneven as if his lungs had just learned about their purpose. By the hot puffs of air hitting his skin and the ragged sounds reaching his ears, he wasn't the only one with that problem.

After some eternal few seconds, her quiet whisper broke the silence. "So…" It was cut by a quick exhale. "… You think that's convincing?"

"Uhn…" The hum was everything he could muster up at the moment. He didn't want to open his eyes, fearing that all would disappear as soon as he did so. So Jaune clung to her. To the sensation of her forehead pressed against his, to how her fingers were still idly picking the locks of hair on his nape, to the way his hoodie was twisted under her hand, to how right hugging her this close felt, to the sound of her breathing steadying, just to gather the courage to finally meet her eyes.

He did. The urge to smile too strongly for him to even consider containing it - Pyrrha was there, with flushed cheeks and a too satisfied curl of lips, making him realize this felt a little more than just  _practice_ , though he had a hunch he wasn't the only one who thought that way. Jaune tilted his head to the side, accidentally poking her nose with his, as he found the word to whisper back a reply. "… Maybe…"

The puff of air from her laugh warmed his lips. "Maybe?"

"I'm…" He breathed, not really believing the direction he was taking their exchange. "… Not really sure…"

"Oh, I see…" Her eyes glimmered with the beginning of a smirk. "Do you think… it needs more practice?"

"You… you always say that some extra training is… never bad." His breath hitched as he felt her fingers moving through his hair again.

There was a quiet giggle; the sound agitated even more the butterflies on his stomach. "I suppose you're right..."

He nodded lightly, caressing her skin with the movement. "Just… to make sure we got the hang of it?"

Pyrrha hummed, it contained tunes of her laugh, and Jaune closed his eyes with the melodious sound. "That's the only reason?"

He exhaled sharply, hugging her tighter as her words brushed against his lips, heart hammering on his ribcage as her hand wandered from his shoulder to his neck, thumb stroking the curve of his jaw. He wasn't able to give her an adequate answer, only being able to shake his head weakly, her name the only thing on his mind, coming out almost as a plea. "Pyrrha…"

He could swear he felt her shiver under his palms, though Jaune didn't have time to give that too much thought. The air was knocked out of his lungs, his back pressed flat against the wall as her lips crashed into his with a familiar, endearing fierceness.

She was smiling, then he was smiling, their teeth bumped, his head hit the concrete behind him yet he paid no mind. Just melting into her hold, his arms fully circled her waist as she hugged his neck, fingertips lost into his blond mess and he sighed to the heavenly sensation, his body curved over hers with the intensity of her embrace, no space left as their legs fit between each other.

Any indication this was only a practice completely lost to him, ignoring completely the fact that they probably won't ever have to pretend to make out in front of his sister to prove any point. Jaune gasped and he felt Pyrrha smirk. Were fake practice kisses between just friends supposed to have tongue? He didn't have the mind to care, giving her his all, everything he couldn't before because of paralyzing shock of the rush of his first kiss.

Curious fingers traced the curve of her spine as she hummed encouraging, shyly arriving at her shoulders, following the shape to her neck to cup her cheek gently, exploring the paths of her form as a map he wanted to memorize. Pyrrha's arm lowered to give space to his own, curiously slipping along his side. He was too distracted by her teeth lightly scrapping over his lip, so when he felt her touch sneak under his hoodie, Jaune could only let out a muffled yelp at her burning touch over his already hot skin.

The alley was supposed to be cold and chilly yet the only thing he could feel was warmth. His mind felt dizzy and Jaune forgot where he was even supposed to be, the only thing that mattered was her lips, her touches, her scent, her proximity,  _her_ -  _Pyrrha_. The concept of time inexistent to him until the necessity to breath turned unbearable, and he had to break their contact.

He didn't want to end though, so by pure instinct, Jaune took a necessary breath and went back to her, just to part soon after, tasting air again, and repeating the process until she started meeting him halfway. He felt a grin coming and he didn't have enough strength to stop it. Their kisses turned clumsy and silly, he sloppily missed her lips once or twice accidentally as he heard Pyrrha giggle, then started doing on purpose, drifting to her cheeks, to her chin, to her nose, to her jaw. The way her hands tugged on his hair, the pressure of her nails on his side together with her breathy laughs were the signs that made him guess that she liked it.

The quick short breaths were only enough to keep him going for so much time before his lungs complained again. He felt her breathing turning lengthy as his kisses turned lazy, until he stopped completely, letting out a tired sigh.

Pyrrha withdrew her exploring hands then, letting herself fall over his shoulder, loosely hugging his neck, her previous fierceness now dwindling as she heavily rested against him.

The intensity of the past minutes downed to him as well. His legs felt wobbly and Jaune mentally thanked once again the support the wall gave him, the heavy drowsiness he was feeling after he left the airship coming back with full force, any remaining energy leaving his body as he recovered his breath as if he had been depleted of his Aura.

"Now… that… was convincing…"

Pyrrha's weak chuckle tickled his skin, her reply was a muffled murmur of which he was only able to catch a  _"think so?"_

The  _"Yeah."_  he was about to say was chocked back when Jaune felt a soft pressure on his neck.

"PY-yyr…" He called as soon as he identified the touch, voice a mix of tiredness and astonishment

She laughed at the sound, her lips still brushing over his now quickened pulse. "I'm sorry."

He swallowed dry. "No. You're not.

She only hummed in response, leaving his skin tingling with hypersensitivity after the brief contact. "Pyr…" He took a deep breath, closing his eyes, and mirrored her words. "I'm sorry."

She stiffened under his arms. "For what…?"

"I'm just… really tired…" He let his head pend forward as he continued, barely aware of which words he was mumbling, just following the feeling they were necessary, too mentally exhausted to think beyond them. "This… A lot… I need to… hm… Think…?"

"Oh." Pyrrha raised her head from his shoulder. He missed the weight immediately.

Jaune cracked his eyes open, her minimalist reaction making him worry. Then he found a soft smile on her face, eyes hinting an understanding he wished he also possessed. "I understand." She then diverted her eyes, glancing down sheepishly. "And... I'm sorry if it was too mu-"

He blinked slowly, shaking his head at her apology, interrupting her as he gently pressed his lips to the tip of her nose, also barely aware of this action, just following the feeling it was necessary.

After a small gasp, Pyrrha looked at him with shining eyes. He furrowed his brow, tilting his head as she blinked rapidly, for one second Jaune was sure she was getting rid of tears.

Then her bright smile eased any concern he could have. "Let's go then?"

He nodded, and after a lingering second, Pyrrha pulled away from him. It felt like getting out of the comfort of your bed on a Monday morning after a snowy night. Though he followed her to the edge of the building, peeking over the wall to check if anybody was around to catch them sneaking out of a shady alleyway.

The cost was clear. She promptly took his hand and dragged him to the door, closing it with a bit more force than necessary as soon as they were inside.

Jaune quickly looked around to see if anybody had seen their rushed entrance; the lobby was empty. The thing that caught his attention though, was the now illuminated sight of his partner by his side.

Flustered face, no traces of lipstick left, bright pinkish lips, ruffled shirt, messy bangs – if she looked like that, he couldn't even imagine his own state; and if anyone saw them, it would be easy to deduce what they had been up to. He felt his face heating up, and he quickly stammered. "I… hm… need to go t-to the bathroom… I- I'll see you later…?"

She nodded quickly. "Y-yes, me too actually. I'll just…" Pyrrha just pointed behind her back instead of completing the sentence.

After a second of delay, they let go of each other's hands, rushing to opposite directions. Jaune dared a look over his shoulder as he walked and hastily turned forward again after he found Pyrrha doing the same, their faces matching in the shade of red.

He had to wince as the door slammed behind his back louder than he had intended. The first floor bathrooms were the least frequented, so it was no surprise to find it empty, still, he was deeply relieved to see himself alone.

Jaune didn't even know his hair could get messier than his usual morning bed head, though she had managed it. Even after a quick wash, his face was still completely red, reaching his neck and ears. He ran his tongue over his lips, low-key hoping to find remnants of her taste.

Closing his eyes, Jaune breathed, long and slowly, feeling his heartbeat calming down until it didn't sound like a drum set inside his head anymore. Staring at his own reflection again, he found the normal colors returning to his face.

Straightening his back, he adjusted the collar of his hoodie, pulling the strings that passed inside the hood until they were hanging equally in sizes in front of his chest again. The shirt he wore under felt out of place against his skin, raising the edge of his hoodie up to undo the bundle of fabric underneath, he gripped the white cloth, though before he could fix this last detail, he stopped after noticing a little something.

Five crescent-shaped marks, almost fading but still clear enough to catch his attention, left by her nails on his waist, he hadn't even noticed her grip had been that strong.

Jaune quickly pulled down his hoodie, hiding the evidence, eyes wide as if someone had just caught him, though the only one watching was his own reflection.

He let out a frustrated groan, turning the sink on again. All the work to normalize the color of his face had to be repeated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there is a chapter that I wish for feedback, it's this one. Part of me is pretty happy with it, especially since I had a block during the days I was writing it, so finishing was really satisfying. The other part is thinking that mayybe it was a bit too much lmao. So, as always, I would love to know from you guys, thoughts are more than deeply appreciated! \o/
> 
> Next chapter is going to be the last - and the biggest one yet! So see you very soon for it, thank you so much for reading and for all the support! :D


	5. The Reasons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have a big chapter to close things off! Decided to update a few hours earlier than usual because "the usual" is right before I go to sleep, and I know very well that I wouldn't even shut my eyes out of excitement to hear from you guys after sgkbj
> 
> I'll ramble more at the end, hope you enjoy the final part!

\- Our plane leaves right after lunchtime

\- So if you can to see us off just give me a heads up

\- Ah and ask Pyrrha if she can come too!

\- Would love to say bye to her! And I'm sure Adrian would love to see her again before we leave :D

\- One last thing

\- I think you guys would like to have this

\- [Photo]

…

_saph when did you take that?! -_

\- :)

Jaune didn't scroll down to the remaining texts of the conversation he had with his sister. Just staring intensely at the screen, finger hovering over the photo before letting it fall in a harsh tap for a full-screen view.

For a picture that had been taken furtively, it had a pretty nice angle of the hotel's room tiny couch. It was easily noticeable there was virtually no space between his partner and him, Adrian just being a cute bundle over her lap. His own head was leaning against the backrest, hers right by his side as they were, apparently, in the middle of a conversation. Her eyes glimmered with a hint of a laugh, his hand was raised in the middle of a word, as he had been gesticulating while talking.

He replayed that conversation on his mind the best as he could, trying to remember the details. If he had to guess, he would say the picture was taken right before he had said it was impossible to not like her…

His fingertip wandered through the screen until it stopped with another light tap.

\- Delete

\- Edit

\- Set As Wallpaper

\- Share

He blinked, realizing that he didn't even know why he opened the menu, or what his intention was supposed to be. Though he couldn't help but wonder if he should send it to Pyrrha… his sister had said she thought  _they_  would like it…

Yet, his finger floated over the option directly above. He stopped. He couldn't believe he was actually considering it.

He shook his head, closing the menu with a swipe, the screen now only showing the picture once again. Jaune sighed tiredly, hunching on the chair, idly kicking the feet of the table, hand reaching for his mug with eyes still locked on the screen, his coffee getting cold after being forgotten during the past minutes.

He had woken up so early that it was probably illegal to be up at that time on a Sunday morning. Though it was no surprise, after arriving at their room - Ren being the only one there, who just sent him a knowing look as a greeting - Jaune only changed into comfortable clothes before collapsing on his bed for something he told himself would be nothing more than a  _quick rest_. He dived into a deep slumber in a second, not even bothering about the fact the sun had basically just set, he hadn't even eaten dinner or taken a shower and didn't even stir with the sound of his other teammates settling for the night.

Though maybe falling asleep that early and waking up before everyone else was for the best. It would give him the time to think, because he certainly didn't know how he was supposed to even look, much less talk, at his partner when she eventually wakes up.

Taking a sip of his coffee, he let the drink warm him up as he gathered his thoughts.

So… there was an alarmingly huge amount of indications that his partner, his best friend,  _liked him?_  But not the partner or best friend kind of  _like_  - like actual  _like!_

A deprecated part of his mind kept telling him that he was being ridiculous - she couldn't like him! Why would someone as great, sweet, kind… beautiful, strong… as Pyrrha would like someone like him? Though the other part one was quick to tell him he was being ridiculous for  _not noticing_ , presenting every memory, moments, words, looks, that proved his guess right - the two colliding trains of thought nearly giving him a headache.

She accepted a wacky fake dating scheme too quickly, she kissed him and seemed a bit too smug about it, she held his hand for more time than necessary and didn't shy away from contact not even once, even being the one who boldly initiated them most of the time.

_"… she talks about you the same way you talk about her."_

Whatever she had said to Saph and Terra when they were alone made his sister completely believe her feelings were sincere and  _dust!_  If they were, he wondered how long this has been going on…

_"I just told them since I started training you."_

The memory hit him like a truck. His grip on the mug unintentionally tightened as Jaune felt his face heating up. Gods, he had replied her with  _that's a long time!_

_"… If there was someone… You wouldn't even realize…"_

He just blankly stared at the dark liquid inside his mug. Could Pyrrha be talking about herself? That would explain why she sounded so sure and the chilling glare that accompanied the statement.

_"And we could practice…"_

If her words were convincing, her actions were even more. Jaune rubbed his hands over his arms, every hair on his body standing up as the moment was replayed by his mind, he felt hot as if the heat of his coffee had been completely transferred to him, skin tingling sensitively, a tiny spot managing to stand out, right on the curve between his neck and shoulder, where her last kiss had been lightly placed.  _Practice._ Right.

_"Just… to make sure we got the hang of it?"_

_"That's the only reason?"_

Now that was the question he was looking the answer for.

He wasn't surprised that, when he recalled the moment, every part of him wanted to scream  _No it's not!_  as a reply. Still, he wanted to be sure. He wanted to have no doubts. He wanted to know. Pyrrha liked him. And he definitely felt something he didn't yet classify. Though he knew he wanted to be true and sincere.

Not because his heart had sought a random consolation crush after a delusional experience. Not because his sister thought they were adorable together. Not because he had been swept off of his feet by her breathtaking kisses.

He wanted it to be for the right reasons.

He wanted to be because he wanted to be there for her like she always was there for him. Because he cared about her just as much as she cared about him. Because -  _dust! -_  imagining a future without her by his side was actually really weird. He wouldn't have come this far without her, she was the first person to ever believe in him, encouraging and supporting his dreams and he wanted her to know that. Because Pyrrha made him want to be better in every way, she made him happy and he simply, but purely, would do anything to make her happy too.

Because he didn't want to call it a crush. For it wasn't one, not anymore.

Now if he could only convince that part of his mind that was only reserved for doubt and anxiety… Apparently, it was going to be more complicated than he thought. After all, the idea of someone liking him for real felt so absurd - especially someone like her. Every time he entertained the idea, he had the urge to laugh, deprecated part of his mind calling him an idiot for believing something as amazing as that could actually happen to him.

"Jaune!" His staggered name brought him back to Remnant. There she was, as if summoned by his thoughts, in half a step through the doorway, still in pajamas and ponytail yet to be redone, with a few strands out of place. Then she gave him her characteristic soft smile, crossing the threshold. "Good morning."

Jaune closed his Scroll with a loud clack as she approached, fumbling with his feet around the stool. "Hm- M-morning, Pyr."

"Is everything alright?" Pyrrha asked between a repressed yawn. "You're up early."

"Y-yeah." His eyes followed her as she rounded the table. "I-it's just that-"

He swallowed his words to avoid a choke as her hand messed with his already unruly hair as she passed behind him, fingertips tickling his scalp. The sensation now familiar enough to make the strands on the back of his neck stand up.

_It's just that I think I'm falling in love with you._

He swallowed back his sigh at her touch with a sip of his coffee, eyes still following her even after her fingers left. Their eyes met before she opened the fridge and directed them inside. He caught a brief glimpse of her knowing grin in response to his now burning face.

_Actually… I think I've been for a while now…_

"It's just that I feel asleep really early yesterday." Jaune managed the full reply after a long breath.

She giggled shortly before closing the fridge. "I noticed that."

Pyrrha sat by his side, the corner of the table between them. The loose strands of her messy ponytail fell in front of her face as she picked the lid off of her Mistrali yogurt. He only noticed he was about to raise his hand when a wave of disappointment washed over him after she tucked the strays behind her ear herself.

He felt like he should say something else but opening his mouth felt the same as lifting a pile of bricks. So Jaune just stayed there, unconsciously fidgeting with his closed Scroll between his fingers as she ate quietly - it was peach flavored… he liked peaches… if he kissed her after… would the taste stay…?

Even after their gazes met he didn't acknowledge he was staring, that only happening after he noticed the blush rising on her cheeks as she, to his surprise, looked away first, a small curl of lips hidden by her spoon.

He didn't have the mind to look away too because this felt too unreal. Pyrrha glanced back to him and only that made his face burn, Jaune barely caught her words, they came out between a repressed giggle. "Want some?"

"Hm?" He tilted his head, then understanding fell over him when her now full spoon was pointed to his direction.

 _Unreal._  His body made the decision before his flustered mind could even fully process the moment, bending forward to reach the offered spoon. It wasn't the peach flavored kiss he had thought of a while ago, but close enough.

He licked his lips, finally being able to speak up after. "Hm, so… my sister said they are leaving after lunch… today. I-if you want to come…"

"Oh. Of course!" She replied after another spoonful. "I would love to see them again, especially little Adrian."

Jaune only nodded, smiling at how her eyes lightened up when mentioning the baby. He peeked at the clock. "It's still early though…"

There was a hum of agreement, his partner continued while nonchalantly scraping the bottom of the plastic cup. "Do you want to practice today?"

 _Gods, yes!_  Was the first unprocessed thought that crawled from the back of his mind. Still, the rational part of his brain stopped to fully consider her question, getting every muscle of his to freeze. Jaune felt his face burning as he spat out a "What?"

The smirk was concealed by her last spoonful. Pyrrha raised her eyebrows as she was starting the most obvious thing. "On the roof? Training? As we do almost every day?"

"Oh." It came out as blankly as he could to mask his letdown. He straightened his eyes at her pinkish cheeks and too knowing glint of eyes. He would bet she knew exactly the implications on her words, she knew exactly what she was doing.

 _Un-real…_  "Y-yeah... Sure."

Pyrrha only hummed again. Getting up from her chair to wash the spoon and throw away the empty yogurt cup. She gently patted his hair again before leaving and he almost fell out of his stool. "I'll see you in a few then."

He was alone again. Jaune could hear the ticking of the clock and his own heartbeat reverberating through the room. More time than necessary passed, and he let himself fall face first on the table with a loud groan.

 _What was that?!_  Of all the scenarios that popped on his mind of how their conversation was going to play out, that certainly wasn't one of them. It felt vague, it felt incomplete. He wanted to say so much to her and he acted like a weird and jumpy, frozen idiot. Jaune was actually considering bolting out of the room fast enough to find her in the middle of one of the corridors, tackle her in a hug, and just tell her everything, getting the confirmation to his suspicions from her own mouth.

But he didn't have the willpower to move. Just hunching over the table, chin buried between his forearms as his hand went through his own hair in a frustrated gesture. The sensation felt null in comparison to her touch, from the recent gentle pats to the ruthless mess of her fingertips from the night before.

He let out a puff of air to cool down. Everything felt so  _cluttered_. From his sister visit, to their rushed scheme, to made up lies, to the sudden reveal of information, to the realizations that made a bit more of sense that he could ever imagine, to actions that were not as fake as they were supposed to be.

Maybe… he should wait until this mess with his sister passed. Maybe when it's all over and he won't have to worry about any scheme, he will be able to think straight. Maybe after seeing how his partner will act without no more need for acting, all of his self-doubts will wash away, giving him the courage he wished for. Confirming that he wasn't only a hopeless, lovesick, wishful thinker.

Jaune straightened his back, getting up from the stool, mentally nodding to himself to his decision. In less than half a day it would end, he just needed to survive training, with her, alone, in the rooftop, just the two of them, then another double date with his sister and wife, acting all couple-y, having her close, holding her hand and holding himself back from looking too much like someone who just had discovered their feelings, instead of someone who was in a stable relationship for six months.

It would be fine. He just needed to focus on how after all of that, they would be able to move forward.

* * *

To his defense, he had said it would have been  _fine_ , not  _easy._

The practice on the roof was really just practice, Jaune had never felt so much relief and disappointment at the same time. Though the moment they began their sparing, the combat instincts he had been honing for months kicked in to avoid himself from being beaten up.

Yeah, she was close, but you know what else was close? Her very sharp spear. And he knew from experience that, even with Aura, getting whacked by it wasn't exactly fun.

He couldn't help but smile when the heavy sensation he was carrying on his back since he had woken up gradually faded as the familiar rhythm of their training routine dawned into them. He still found it funny how she could flare up his nerves so effortlessly and yet ease him of his concerns simply by being  _there._

Letting out an ugly groan, he heavily sat on the floor as Pyrrha called out their last spar, just to completely fall back stretched on the ground, the smooth concrete tiles were heavenly chilly.

With his eyes closed, he could only picture her smile as her giggle reached his ears. "That was great! You did really well today."

Jaune blinked his eyes open when noticing her voice hadn't come from the direction he had expected, finding the upside down view of her figure standing right above him.

"I still think you measure how well I did by how wasted I am in the end." He mumbled as he recovered his breath.

"It could be…" She lightly rolled her creased eyes, blocking the sunlight by leaning over his worn-out form, hands crossed behind her back. "Though I just see as a sign that you're giving your all."

He huffed a laugh. "Or that you're just going harder on me."

"Of course I am." Pyrrha placed a hand over her chest. "I can't hold back after you improved so much, can I?"

He opened his mouth but soon closed it with another recovered lengthy inhale, just staring up at her for a few seconds before trying again. "Couldn't have done without you."

Her smile softened. That sentence was basically his catchphrase for the end of each training sessions, though even after being said so frequently, Jaune always made sure she knew how much he meant it every single time it left his mouth.

Maybe he put too much feeling on the words this time though. The way her eyelids dropped as she looked away, together with the tilt of lips, completely returned to his body the heat he had already dissipated after their last match.

"So, are you going to need a few minutes? Or we should get going?" She started after looking back to him.

He groaned a whine, stretching his limbs and his words. "I don't knooow." Jaune closed his eyes again before adding drowsily. "The floor is nice."

There was a chuckle, then the sound of metal lightly scraping the ground as she sat. A half-lidded peek, and his heart skipped a beat after he noticed her crossed legs were right behind his head - a swift move up would be all that it takes to lay on her lap.

"Just don't lose track of time. We still have to meet your sister." Pyrrha rested her elbows on her knees, placing her chin over her palms as she spoke, bending slightly over him to catch his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." He blinked forcefully, thanking the pos-training heat for masking his blush. He waved his hand nonchalantly as he continued. "Saph said she would call… or text… when they are ready. They're probably still packing… or just waking up…"

"If you're saying so." Jaune just hummed in response, noticing a second too late that his hand had drifted upwards, curiously poking the green gem dangling from the chains of her circlet. She huffed a silent laugh when his finger lightly patted it like a kitten.

"I just… want this to be over soon…" He breathed, focusing only on the smooth texture between his fingertips.

"Oh?" Her tone of voice was devoid of any particular emotion.

"Y-yeah, I mean… I'm not really an actor. And… All the pretending… is kind of … a mess?" He fumbled with his words, only able to glimpse quickly at her eyes before looking away. His hand lowered back to his chest, it grazed feathery against her cheek on the descent. Jaune let out a dry chuckle "I know it was my own idea and all…"

He let out a breath, eyes glazed over the edge of the roof, mumbling just below a whisper. "But I… I don't want to pretend anymore…"

When she said nothing, Jaune had the courage to glance back to her. Her eyes were wide and searching, Pyrrha opened her mouth and after a failed attempt, the question came out quietly. "What did you say?"

He panicked a bit under her expecting stare. "I… S-sorry. I think I still feel a little guilty for dragging you into this."

Her shoulders dropped as she let go of a breath and he mentally kicked himself because that certainly wasn't what he wanted to say. "Jaune, you asked me and I said yes, remember?" Her smile was a tiny thing. "So it's not like you  _dragged_  or forced anything on me." There was an unsure divert of eyes, she placed her next words carefully. "Or are you… regretting… it?"

"No!" The speed of his reply surprised his own self and brought the weight of her stare back to him. "Of course not… I just… everything… it's… it's really… fine then…?" He stuttered, his words seeking assurance.

Pyrrha let out another silent chuckle. "Yes, it's fine." Her hand lowered, messing with his hair reassuringly. "Now stop worrying that much."

A laugh escaped as he closed his eyes to avoid strands falling on them, feeling his chest being filled with lightness. Almost unthinkingly, he placed a hand over hers over his head, interrupting her ruffling. Jaune only gave it a squeeze, them let go. "Thank you."

She smiled at him in that characteristic way of hers, that curl of lips that lifted her cheeks, made her eyes smile together with her mouth. Her fingertips lightly brushed his bangs back into place and he let out a sigh at the touch, not even caring that he was probably looking up to her with a silly smile on his face. Her soft stare still carried a curious, expecting shine - It would be the perfect time to start something like  _"hey, I was talking to my sister and she really, really believes you really like me y'know, isn't that funny?"_

Though a realization came first.  _His sister._  In a sudden motion, he patted the pockets of his pants, his momentary fear was validated as he found them empty. "Pyr? I... I just realized that I left my Scroll at the dorm…" He started embarrassedly. "I... don't actually know if Saph already called or not…"

The weightless touch left his hair, with a shake of head, she let out a breathy chuckle. "We should go check then." Pyrrha got on her feet first. A hand invaded his line of sight as he sat up. "We don't want to risk keeping them waiting long."

"Y-yeah. That-" He took her offer, the pull on his arm was stronger than he expected and he stumbled upwards. Their joined hands were pressed between their chests. "T-that wouldn't be nice…" He only managed whispers, the proximity and the fact that she didn't make any effort to restore any distance making him light-headed. "They seem to be really excited to see you again actually."

"They are?" There was genuine surprise on her voice, eyes lightening up with enchanting happiness.

Jaune nodded, containing the urge to lean forward to rest his forehead on hers. Unconsciously, his thumb caressed her fingers. "T-they liked you… a lot."

"Oh. I… I really liked them too." Pyrrha squeezed his hand gently, giving him a sheepishly smile. Seeing the bright color filling her cheeks, and this up close, still felt like a surreal experience for him.

A beat of quietness, he didn't know what to do next, thoughts rushing around his head just as fast as his heart was beating. More than half of them consisted of ending the remaining space between them, yet he didn't have the guts to do so. "So… hm, l-let's try not to mess all up in the last hours?"

A soft giggle. "I don't think we will." The tilt of her head got their noses to touch for a brief second, it made his skin prickle, he was able to contain the gasp. "I believe we can be pretty convincing... At least your sister thinks so."

"She really did believe us..." His laugh came out as a wisp of air. "Let's keep giving her reasons to not suspect then…"

She hummed an agreement. Her eyes flickered down and he didn't restrain the fleeting movement of his tongue over his lips. The grip on his hand got firmer, he had one second to watch the curl of her mouth appearing before she moved forward.

A soft, comforting pressure right above his lips, slight to the side, right at the edge of his cheek. His breath hitched as the touch lingered for enough seconds for him to close his eyes. He only fluttered them open after she pulled away, the hold on his hand being released. "I think we will do fine."

Then she was taking a step away from him, with that too satisfied smirk that appeared on her face when he knew Pyrrha could see his face burn.

Jaune didn't know what came over him next. A jolting energy on his chest knocked him out of his dumbfounded state quicker than ever before. Rushing forward, he took her hand again, turning her back to him. "And I think you missed."

He registered a fleck of confusion over her expression before he closed the distance between them once more.

It was quick and shy, like a kiss a kid would steal from their school crush. Even so, the familiar texture of her lips caused the wildest spark to explode inside his body, together with the alarming thought of  _what the dust are you doing?!_  causing him to harshly recoil back after the second of bravery.

Her breath came out as a loud gasp as he pulled away. Her wide eyes stared at him with overflowing bewilderment, grip on his hand tightening not allowing him to let go, face in the process of reaching the color of her hair. Every part of his body froze - a little voice on his head chanting louder and louder that he had messed up - then she blinked, taking in a breath, the exhale after came as a huffed, baffled chuckle.

"I… hm-" Pyrrha started with an uncharacteristic hesitance after an enticing lick of lips, they quivered with a repressed smile. "If… if we are giving constructive criticism here… I think… that was a bit too short..."

He had only time to barely register the meaning of her words, chest fluttering with hundreds of wild butterflies, because right after, the distance between them was cut for the third time and her smile collided with his mouth.

The sudden contact made him stiffen in surprise, but then a lean to the side caused her lips to fit perfectly between his, lingering as the inviting taste of cherries and the hint of peaches hit his senses, clutching hands on his hood bringing him closer and the shock crumbled like a house of cards. Shoulders dropping, blissfully sighing, his surprised hovering hands lowering towards the curve of her waist as he melted under the satisfied smile of her kiss. Yet before he could embrace her fully, she pulled away with a pleased exhale, leaving him hanging in the edge of space she was occupying before as he swallowed back a pleading whine for more.

A quiet laugh got him to open his eyes, Jaune also tried to open his mouth to speak, though the only sounds he was able to produce were short, indistinct flustered babbles. "Ehrm… I- hm...?"

"I... just thought this way would be more believable," Pyrrha replied his questioning mumble, smile turning into an amused grin. "Don't you think?"

Having a question to answer partially snapped him out of his stupor. "Ah. I… Y-yes." He didn't know where to focus his eyes, they wandered around, jumping between the glint of her eyes, the curl of her smile, the hold on his hoodie. "You're… you're right." His hands that had been on the path to her waist were still hovering around it unsurely, he withdrew them closer to his chest, just to promptly rest them over her forearms as the need to touch her too became impossible to ignore.

Shifting weight between his feet, he started. "But… hm… w-what if…" He glanced up to her, she waited for him to continue curiously. "What if there's only time for… f-for a short one?" He swallowed dry, surprised at himself for having the courage to speak. "I- I mean… can I... Do something like this…?"

Her mouth opened as if she was going to ask him what he was talking about, that only turned into a passage for her gasp as he gently pecked her flushed cheek. The sound made any hesitation he had transform into incredible satisfaction, giving him the push he needed to continue.

"Or maybe…" He finished his sentence after a detour to the tip of her nose, the grasp on his hoodie pulled him closer as her breath came as a puff of a giggle after the soft touch.

"I… I have to say that you're right too." The last word melted into a sigh as he rose to kiss her forehead, right under the golden tip of her circlet.

"Pyr..." Jaune smiled against her skin as he brushed the curve of her other cheek, under her crinkled eyes. "I… I want to try again…"

Somehow she understood what he meant, her head shifted and he pushed forward once more, his lips falling over hers in a short kiss. Still a timid touch, yet now the rushed harshness was replaced by tender certain.

Pyrrha hummed against him before he parted. "That… was much better." Her forehead gently rested against his. "You always improve extraordinarily fast."

"I have a good practice partner." He gave her a sheepish grin, now conscious of how hot his skin was feeling.

Her melodious, quiet laugh filled his ears. Silence fell over them and he didn't dare to move, yet, to avoid it turning awkward, he continued. "So… should we… see if Saph called?"

"Oh!" Pyrrha nodded, the surprise in her voice got him to think that maybe she had forgotten about it. "Yes, we should check." After a quick divert, her eyes locked on his again with a new playful glimmer. "We need to put this practice into good use."

"Y-yeah. Totally." The smile broke through his words. They let go of each other, he felt her reluctance as her hands twitched before releasing their hold, and he was sure she felt his by the way his thumb stroked her wrists before letting them go.

Jaune expected to feel the same cold he felt the previous night as the distance was put between them, yet it never came, her warmth staying as if giving him the assurance he had been looking for.

Guess practice wasn't just practice after all.

* * *

Jaune's behavior did a complete 180 shift.

The usual nervous stuttering and hesitant gestures gave space to giddy smiles and bright looks. There were still flustered divert of eyes and shy glances, of course, but now he would look back almost at the same second, and admittedly, he wasn't the only one with that habit now.

She had gotten from him and it was totally his fault. He stared at her and talked to her and touched her with such sincerity, taking carefree steps by her side as if he had been cornering those feelings behind stone walls and finally had allowed those to be demolished. Her heart, so used to pinning after his obvious self, was having a little bit of trouble on dealing with the spike of attention.

Or maybe she was just seeing things through her own giddy feelings as well - though she doubted that was the case.

The smile hadn't left her face since she had stepped out of the rooftop, neither her blush. Really though, how could she not be feeling like that? They had kissed! But most importantly, he had kissed her! Again and again and she felt like she was walking on clouds.

Or better, she was falling through clouds, as she had always been, yet now Pyrrha was sure he was there with her.

Saphron had already messaged her brother indeed. The correct time of their departure and an invite to meet then earlier for lunch. So they promptly went to get ready for their second  _double date_. Pyrrha had to ignore Nora sending piercing knowing looks to their flustered demeanor when they arrived at their room, then the hushed teasing questions as her partner left for the bathroom. Questions she had managed to dodge the night before, and now she was going to dodge again - though now with a promise to tell her excited friend everything after all being resolved.

Nora let out a squeal probably only dogs could hear when Pyrrha mentioned she had a hunch it wasn't going to take long for that to happen.

Soon they were ready to leave, surprisingly, the atmosphere between them not turning awkward for not even one second. They had just been kissing in the rooftop and made out in a dark alley the night before, still, any changes on his behavior were nothing but positive.

The airship ride was the same old shaky trip for him. She gave Jaune the usual support, though she found herself taking a bit more of liberty than customary. Not restraining the strokes to his shoulders and spine, her hands wandered around his back, crawling up to his nape, sneaking through the soft locks of his hair until her fingers were buried in gold. She heard his relaxed sighs even over the sound of the ship turbines as he leaned his head over her palm like a puppy asking for pets, as if he had just allowed himself to enjoy her touch fully. Aside from the ride the night before, Pyrrha had never seen acting so calm inside a moving airship.

Jaune thanked her together with a brighter grin than usual while walking out of the boarding docks, side by side, shoulders bumping and knuckles brushing against each other. Until his fingers twitched in anticipation, she took his sign and slightly moved hers, only curling them around the edge of his palm, she restrained herself to allow him to complete the hold. He did. A silent laugh escaped as they both fumbled a bit too eagerly to intertwine their fingers together.

They still had a few blocks to walk before having to actually put up an act to the visiting couple, though neither of them paid mind to this minimal detail.

Lunch went on smoother than she had expected. Saphron and Terra were already waiting for them at the restaurant, they greeted her with hugs and smiles - Adrian did that with happy babbles - no suspicious looks were exchanged, no teasing jabs were given. The conversation flowed between the four of them naturally, she especially enjoying talking about growing up in Argus with Terra. The only teasing coming from Saphron then, throwing at her brother something about Argus girls attracting Arcs a bit too easily. Pyrrha felt her face burn with the commentary, and then as if she could combust as Jaune, between flustered chuckles and awkward scratches on the back of his head, sheepishly  _agreed_.

As the waitress appeared with their food, interrupting their conversation, she had to ask for extra ice for her water.

Soon they were heading to the airport after a quick last stop at the hotel for the couple to fetch their already packed bags. She was happy to carry Adrian to free his moms from extra weight, even if their luggage wasn't more than a few small bags. Her partner was still deeply impressed of how the baby had adapted to her so quickly, she just rolled her eyes, watching him adorably play at his nephew, messing with his hair and dodging little fingers as they walked. Saphron took her son back after arriving at the airport, cooing at him with high pitched voices, then she referred to her as  _aunty Pyrrha_  as the baby jumped between their arms and her chest was filled with warmth.

Terra went to check if everything was in order for their flight, Saphron took Adrian to the bathroom with her, so now it was just his partner and her, waiting on a corner, sitting on the not so comfortable chairs and staring at the flickering names of the destinations on the departure screens.

And that was when his mood did another 180 shift.

What started as what Pyrrha had assumed to be some bored fidgeting escalated within seconds. It was as if every speck of nervousness he had avoided until now crash landed on his shoulders. Jaune tapped his feet in the floor, tugged on the hem of his hoodie, his fingers felt restless even under her hold, free hand going through his own hair as a nervous gesture every minute or so, eyes now lost and unfocused over the sea of people.

Uneasy worry took over every inch of her being.

"Jaune…" She called, adjusting the grip on his hand to a more comfortable position, thumb instinctively tracing lines on his skin. "Is something wrong?"

Her words were enough to snap him out of his restlessness, he jumped slightly as if just taking notice of his own antsy acts. "Ah. Y-yes. Wait. I mean no!"

 _Right_. With a squeeze on his hand, she tugged on his arm, coaxing him to look directly at her.

Pyrrha didn't even need to speak for him to crack, his eyebrows knitted together as if he felt guilty for making her concerned. "I… It's- It's just…" Jaune took the deepest of breaths, sounding exhausted, his hand messing with his hair one more time. His shoulders dropped as any argument he was supposed to be having inside his mind came to a halt.

"I know that… in the original the plan… we would tell my sister after she left…" He started slowly, eyes downcast. "But now it's… I don't… I can't do this anymore…"

"You want to tell her now…" It was supposed to be a question, Pyrrha meaning to complete the sentence asking if he was really talking about the scheme, but it came out more like an affirmation, the remaining words stuck on her throat as he nodded weakly.

"I... I thought this was a smart idea at first… But I don't like lying to her." Frustration leaked into his voice. "And I don't like lying to myself." Jaune raised his gaze then. "I… I don't like lying to you..."

Her heat was close to stopping, confusion clouding her mind and making her body go cold inside. Why did his words sound like he regretted everything? He was lying to her? Pyrrha didn't have the time to go over his words again to seek for a reply or ask him to elaborate. A mechanical voice announcing the upcoming flight resonated through the building. Saphron and Terra soon appeared as if they were summoned, materializing by their side by the end of the announcement.

She put a smile on her face to say her goodbyes.

"I guess it's time to go." Saphron adjusted Adrian on her arms, freeing one to give a hug to her brother. "I'm really happy we got to spend some time with my baby brother!" She teased, messing with Jaune's hair - a disgruntled mumble of  _I'm not a baby!_  came from her partner.

"And Pyrrha," She started after letting him go. Pyrrha wasn't surprised when the other woman stretched her arm to her direction, offering her a half hug too. "It was so nice meeting you! And sorry for any trouble, really."

"No, no. There was no trouble at all." She was released from the clumsy but warm embrace. "And I'm really happy I got to meet you three too!" Adrian was quick to grab her finger as she approached him, giggling cutely. With a smile, Pyrrha shook his tiny hand lightly before letting go.

"If one day you come back to Argus, you should visit us!" Terra added, throwing her bag over her shoulders.

"Absolutely!" Her wife was quick to agree. "And one more thing." She winked, smile still bright. "Take care of my brother, ok? You know how he can be sometimes…"

"Hey!" The brother in question grunted, the other Arc only laughed.

"And I know you have your reasons…" She continued, the sincere, sisterly tone now taking over her words. "But I'm sure the rest of our family would also love to meet you," She exchanged an earnest look with her brother. "To know about you two."

Jaune opened his mouth to say something, but soon closed. Saphron turned her attention to him fully. "I know why you would want to keep from our younger sisters… with how kids can be with secrets and all…" She laughed softly, Jaune smiled back in a way Pyrrha could only classify as  _homesick_  - she almost looked away, feeling like an intruder in the middle of a sibling moment. "But Mom and Dad…"

"I already told you this, Jaune, I have never seen you so happy before. I have no doubts our parents would be overjoyed by knowing all the reasons for that. To prove to them even more coming here was the right decision." Saphron placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, then glanced directly at Pyrrha, a soft, reassuring smile taking over her expression. "And I'm sure they wouldn't tell anyone."

"Saph…" Jaune's muscles dropped under his sister's touch, his voice did a nearly imperceptible crack.

He looked at her then, the same conflicted stare from their talk still on his eyes. Pyrrha let go of a breath, and nodded.

"That's… that's not why I didn't tell them." He began under his breath.

His sister took her hand away from his shoulder, eyebrows scrunching in confusion. "Then why-"

"I didn't tell them because there was nothing to tell!" He spilled, voice raising with exasperation. Another look at Pyrrha's direction, then quickly continuing before his sister could say a thing. "Pyrrha and I… We aren't dating."

Listening to those words caused a bigger impact on her than she expected. Even if she knew he was about to do it, and even though she knew they were nothing but the truth, for some reason, it still  _hurt._

Saphron and Terra wore identical looks of pure puzzlement, Adrian alternating curious glances between his mom's. Pyrrha would have chuckled at the scene in any other circumstance.

"What do you mean  _you aren't dating?"_  Saphron blurted after a heavy second, glaring at the two of them for explanations.

"We just… aren't. We aren't a couple. We never were." Jaune looked down in shame. "You were just… talking about all that stuff on the phone... How you were happy after finding someone. And I felt bad and guess I felt like I needed to catch up and then everything escalated too quickly and you were assuming that my partner was actually my girlfriend and then the talk ended and you were arriving and I panicked-"

"What I mean is… You were right when you suspected about it at first. It was planned. We were pretending. It was fake. I'm… I'm sorry."

Pyrrha didn't make any attempt to intervene on his rambling, letting him pour the truth to his sister. She was sure that even if she wanted to do so, even if she tried, the lump on her throat wouldn't allow that to happen. So when Saphron looked at her again, searching for confirmation, she had to look away.

"Fake." The older Arc shook her head, but the expression on her face wasn't confusion anymore, nor denial, not betrayal, and thankfully, nor anger. It was just pure worry, as if she reached an understanding that made her extremely concerned.

"First, Jaune… I'm sorry for pressuring you on our phone call-"

"No! It wasn't your fault." He interrupted. "You were just playing around. It was me who took everything too seriously..."

"Still, I shouldn't have." Saphron diverted her eyes from her brother once again then. The weight of her stare made Pyrrha's stomach heavy. A too knowing look and somewhat apologetic, and she knew exactly why it was being sent to her.

Saphron knew. When they had talked on the recreation area, she had made questions and Pyrrha had replied to them. Though it was deep into their conversation when she noticed that even if she needed to be convincing, her answers had been given a bit too truthfully. Despite the realization, she still didn't restrain herself from letting her feelings shine for the rest of their talk, completely absorbed by the cathartic sensation of finally being able to speak about them so freely.

"I shouldn't have because if you wanted to tell me about someone you should do it on your own." The woman continued to her brother. "It's just I was so sure… the way you talked…" Saphron paused, looking for words. "I mean… I would have never guessed those feelings were fake…"

Without missing a beat, Jaune immediately replied. "Because they weren't." He then blinked, surprised at his own conviction. His posture shrunk, head pending towards the floor. "That… That was the only thing that wasn't fake… Even if I didn't realize it at first…"

Her heart definitely missed a few beats, especially when her surprise wasn't mirrored by Saphron. The woman having now a satisfied smile on her face, as if she had been expecting that exact reply. "We'll talk more about this later… But now," She gave a gentle pat on her brother's shoulder, sending a quick glance to Pyrrha before staring back at him. "… It's not to me you have to say that."

The gentle tap became a light push, and then his eyes were on hers. A shy glance, raising reluctantly as if he braced himself to take in her reaction to his confession.

 _A confession!_  Pyrrha opened her mouth to try to speak, but words were out of the reach, a silent gasp for air took their place, her heartbeat was still trying to normalize its rhythm, and honestly, with not much success, expectation making strands of hair on the back of her head stand up. Then, senses going completely off the rails as the shine on his eyes shifted to that familiar soft stare, the one with the words he was never able to free.

The way he let go of a sighed breath, straightened his back, with determination leaking to his expression made her believe that wasn't going to be the case for long.

"Pyr…" The nickname that was exclusive to him slipped from his lips in a tender whisper, accompanied by a tentative step forward. And with just that, she already felt like her knees were about to give in on her. "I… hm…" Jaune slightly rocked himself on his feet, fingers fumbling between themselves as if they were looking for something to fidget with, until the restless hand raised to his neck, to where his blush was steadily spreading.

An embarrassed groan escaped, he looked to the side, palm shifting to his mouth, muffling the frustrated words behind an awkward chuckle. "I'm so bad at this. I don't know where to start."

Gods, why did he had to look so hopelessly cute when flustered?! A puff of air escaped from her as an amused giggle, throat finally unclogged then, allowing her to find her voice after all this time.

"Jaune…" She took her own tiny step forward. Growing smile intertwining into his name. He looked back to her immediately and Pyrrha did her best to send him an encouraging look. Yes, she could have just ended everything by closing the distance between them right at that second. Though she wanted him to give him the chance to speak, she wanted to hear the words he had been hoarding behind his gentle gazes, and the moment for that was now.

Jaune let out a quiet laugh in response to hers, shoulders losing their tension as hands were allowed to drop. "G-guess I… hm- I'll start from the beginning…" After shutting his eyes tight for a second, together with a calming breath, he truly began.

"W-when it started I… I thought it was just me… being bummed out and upset after the fiasco with the dance, looking for a way to make amends to feel less… less like  _that_." His face contorted a bit with the memory, just to immediately soften, eyes defocusing as if he was replaying the events on his head as he continued. "And you were just  _there_ … Just there for me, even after I had been an idiot… And because it started so suddenly, I thought it was just a thing of the moment… y'know? So I… I brushed it off… I didn't want history to repeat itself by risking liking another person who wouldn't like me back."

"When I asked you to help me with this pretending scheme… I didn't… I would have never guessed that y-you… I couldn't even imagine…" He struggled, hand starting to move in unquiet gestures, expression full of pure bafflement. Jaune chuckled softly, scrunching his shoulders. "At first, I thought you, like, had a hidden talent or something and were just a  _really good_  actress." She found herself laughing too. His posture relaxed as he glanced down at his own hands, curling and uncurling fingers as if now self-conscious of his gesturing. "B-but… it wasn't that, was it?"

Pyrrha decided against using words for her reply for now, taking the opportunity to reach forward, her own hands being drawn to his just as easily as metal would be attracted by the pull of her semblance. He trembled slightly under the superficial contact, she gave him a squeeze while he was still staring down at them, causing him to raise his head up, eyes full of awe searching for confirmation.

His bare stare was enough for her to look away for a moment, skin crawling with the heat surging from their now firmer hold, spreading through her whole body. "I… I think you already know the answer." Pyrrha found the will to whisper, a satisfied grin raising on her face just by letting the words out.

His smile brightened, happiness mixed with a hint of disbelief colored his face, as if everything was too good to be true. "I… wow." She had to giggle. Jaune cleared his throat quietly and shook his head, thumb tracing random patterns on the back of her hand. "I don't really know how it started for you… But I… After yesterday, everything we did together… Even if was supposed to be just pretending, it was so... Easy… And right… And so stressful at the same time. B-because that was when I realized I couldn't just brush it off anymore..."

"... And because I realized that everything was really unfair to you… Unfair to us…" His hands shifted, trying to lace their fingers together. Having them fall perfectly between the gaps had never felt so fulfilling. "So I... I want to make this right… I… I want to try again."

"Pyrrha…" He breathed, her name tinged with a heartfelt smile. For the past months, she got so used to him just calling her  _Pyr_ , the nickname made her heart flutter, yet hearing him say her name fully, with his emotions combining into it so sincerely, made a shiver run through the whole length of her spine. "If- if you want it too… we could give this- hm… another shot… and…" He let out a chuckle, embarrassedly looking away for a second, just to focus on her again with a renewed intensity. "What I mean is…"

"Do you… want to be my girlfriend? For… for the right reasons this time."

Her whole body jumped with her hitched breath, even if she knew the reply to his question, it took one extra split of a second for her to react, staring at his expecting, hopeful eyes, his words playing on a loop inside her head until she was sure she had heard them correctly.

"Jaune…" Her growing smile split her breath, not allowing her to speak more than his name. So Pyrrha just bounced slightly on her feet before rushing forward, throwing her arms around his neck, tackling him in a hug with a joyful laugh.

Her eagerness made him stumble backward, though his own arms came around her waist with equal enthusiasm at the same second, making them spin in place as he hugged her closer, the puff of his laughs tickling her neck. She hadn't noticed how the air conditioning of the building had cooled down her skin until she was completely embraced by his comforting warmth, so she buried her face on his shoulder, melting into the contact, taking in his essence of homemade soap as she let out trails of whispered " _Yes! Yes!"_  with each breath.

Pyrrha stopped by the curve between his neck and shoulder, leaving a light kiss over his pulse before raising her head, just to promptly be greeted by mesmerizing bright blue mirroring her own happiness, the familiar soft stare highlighted his expression, though now it felt so much more  _real_ , looking directly at it making her face burn as if she was staring at the sun. A hand raised to trace the curve of his smiling cheeks, gently cupping it as he shyly snuggled into her palm. "I knew you would come around…" She whispered, blinking her eyes quickly go get rid of tears of joy before they could be fully formed, watching his smile grow before grabbing his head and pulling him in.

They had kissed before, but it felt just as magical as if it had been the first - and guess if you stop to think about it, in a way, it was. It combined the rush of fireworks of the one she gave him at the dorm, with the conviction and gentle touches from the ones from the night before, with the playfulness and certitude of the ones they shared at the roof - it never felt more perfectly complete.

So she let herself get lost in the soft curl of his lips, his happy sighs and firm embrace making her heart flutter. Her hands moved on their own to dig into his messily smooth hair, breathing in sharply before having to part because their silly grins prevented lasting contact. Jaune immediately fixed their problem by coming to her with a sequence of short kisses, repeatedly capturing her smile gently, yet excitedly eager, while occasionally giving them both space for their giggles.

Pyrrha opened her eyes while parting for a quick breath. What she did only to appreciate the view, made her realize that she had lost the notion of her surroundings for gods knows how long, and that  _something_  was missing.

"Jaune?" She moved her head to look around, that caused his next kiss to fall on the edge of her lips. She giggled a bit after the misplaced contact before continuing. "Weren't your sister supposed to be still here?"

"Ah." Jaune raised his head then, also looking around. His confusion was clear when he registered they were alone. "Hm, yes?"

He looked back at her. "Did you see when…?"

"No..."  _How could she even?_  "I- hm…" She quickly poked the tip of his nose with hers. "I wasn't really paying attention."

The reddish color on his skin got brighter somehow. "Oh well…Guess I was a little distracted too…" Jaune let out some quiet chuckles. Eyes shining, he still hugged her tight. "Maybe they left because we were being  _disgustingly adorable_."

"Honestly…? I can see that being the reason." With a laugh, she rested her arms around his neck, bringing him forward to place a quick kiss on his cheek - his flustered grin and lively blush  _were_  truly adorable.

And he seemed genuinely satisfied with that. Yet, Pyrrha had to add. "Though I just think we didn't notice that their plane was about to leave." She raised her head, Jaune following the movement right after, the departure screen now indicating that the flight to Argus was in the process of taking off.

He shrunk his shoulders apologetically and chuckled with a shake of head. They were quick to agree it was better for them to leave as well; both feeling a little flustered when noticing the curious glances of the passerby who had caught them being a bit too affectionate for a public space.

Even so, their mutual reluctance to break the embrace was almost comic. Still, Pyrrha found the strength to do so after stealing from him a swift peck on his lips, parting from his arms as she watched Jaune be stunned for a second before he beamed cutely.

He stretched his hand forward then, and she promptly took it. Watching their fingers intertwining before they started walking, getting a sigh out of her because of how right it felt.

Since they were already in the boarding docks, had eaten not much earlier and, at Sundays afternoons, the city didn't offer many activities, they soon found themselves in the next flight back to Beacon.

There were a few familiar faces from the academy's halls, yet neither of them minded being caught walking through the corridor with linked arms as they picked a seat on the back row. Pyrrha was actually feeling more satisfied to be seen than she had expected, taking her steps proudly as she concealed her giddy grin behind her boyfriend's shoulder, pretending not to notice the few stares they had received.

Jaune sat by her side, leaning against the backrest, not having the need for his usual flight stance anymore. However, he instinctively tensed as they acquired altitude. Pyrrha was quick to place her hand on his back in a soothing touch, and Jaune immediately eased up.

She shifted her arm after he slumped against the seat properly, an elbow rested behind his shoulder, hand finding its way to his hair, fingers idly twirling with the strands on the back of his head. The touch made him shiver lightly, together with a laugh caught up on his throat. She only buried her fingers deeper then, he responded by leaning his cheek on the top of her head, nuzzling her hair with a content hum while giving her a better angle for the strokes.

Gods, she could stay like this forever. Her chest fluttered at how his actions had lost its persistent hesitance, how he melted under her displays of affection and wasn't embarrassed about returning them.

They hadn't spoken since the takeoff, being hard to do so over the roar of the ship engines. Now that they were smoothly on air, he was the one who broke their comfortable silence. Words coming out as thought that was accidentally said aloud. "… We still have to go on a real date…"

She could only hum in agreement, a huge smile not giving space for words, and nod quickly; he shifted his weight over her head after the movement. "Do you… have something in mind?"

"I… was thinking…" His breathy chuckle blew on some of the strands of her bangs. "But I can't think of anything we haven't done already… We already go out all the time…"

"I don't mind." Her free hand mindlessly drifted towards his when he turned his palm upwards, accepting the invitation. "And we usually do those things as a team, so now…" She didn't feel the need to complete the sentence as his fingers feel between hers.

"And, Pyr?"

"Hm?"

"Do you… really have a problem about telling others? A-about us? I mean… I understand if you do, I just…" He completed with a squeeze on her hand.

"I don't actually."

The conversation was halted by the noise of the landing towering over any voice. So Pyrrha focused on how she could feel his smile growing after her reply by the way his cheek shifted over her head, excitement shining through his gestures as Jaune shifted more comfortably against her side, thumb caressing the skin of the back of her hand affectionately after a gentle squeeze.

She raised their joined hands then, brushing light kisses on his knuckles. She couldn't wait to tell the whole world either.

* * *

\- It just dawned on me and can't believe you actually did that

_whaaat are we talking about here? -  
_

\- You! For the entire weekend! Tricking your poor sister

_haha -  
_

…

_youre not actually mad are you? -  
_

\- I would be… But then I realized that if something like that was what took for you to stop being a dense dumbass…

\- So you win some lose some

\- Don't do something like that again tho. It could have hurt one of you…

\- And you know you don't need to prove yourself to us in any way

_i know… -  
_

_i know it was a really irresponsible, impulsive thing for me to do -  
_

_and that it could have ended badly... -  
_

_so consider myself scolded. i wont do anything like that again, trust me -  
_

_especially now that i have the most amazing girl in the whole world right here to not let me do something that stupid again -  
_

\- Oh I see what you're up to

\- Don't start

_i don't know what youre talking about dear sis -  
_

_just saying that she is -  
_

\- I mean I could argue...

\- After all, that title was created by me

_eh i dont think is debatable really -  
_

_aaand i could list all the reasons for that -  
_

…

\- Jaune…

…

\- You've been typing for years by the gods…

…

\- You're actually doing it

…

\- I can still see you typing put that down!

\- I won't read an essay about it!

…

\- Okok, dust fine you win! Go be a sap with your girlfriend! Not me!

…

_i can do both cuz shes watching me type :) -  
_

_ive decided to spare you from the essay telling how amazing she is –_

_mainly cuz it would take a very long time to finish it –_

\- You two omg

\- I can feel how disgustingly adorable you two are even through messages

…

\- I'm glad to see that you're happy, baby brother

\- I have to go, take care!

 _yeah…_ _thank_ _you saph -  
_

_and im not a baby! -  
_

_take care sis, see ya! -_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we reached the end of this fluffy ride! Thank you soooo much for reading, thank you for all the support, for leaving kudos and following and especially for all the amazing comments! I would hug you all if I could! I have to say I didn't expect all of this positive reception! Mainly because it was my first try at multichapter, I'm certainly going to miss being excited to post a new part and replying to your reviews...
> 
> As always, I would love to hear your thoughts for this last chapter! And if you haven't already, consider taking a look at my other stories! Currently, they are all Arkos with similar light, fluffy tone as this one! I consider Head Pats to be my best work, Pinned is close to its one year anniversary and I still love it with all my heart, and if you want something shorter, I have a couple of one-shots too.
> 
> I think this is everything. Thanks again for sticking until the end (even if some diabetes were acquired in the process lmao) and, hopefully, see you soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked. If you did, don't forget to leave kudos, and it would make my day if you could tell me your thoughts about the chapter in a comment! \o/
> 
> As always, if you want to see more from me I have a Deviantart, Tumblr and FF.net all under the same username as here. If you want to support me I have a Ko-fi account too: ko-fiDOTcom/chrisrainicorn
> 
> Thank you again and see you soon!
> 
> ((ok there was a huge coincidence here omg i just went to check for curiosity but wasn't expecting to find out that exactly today, one year ago, was when i first started writing my first fic. It feels just like yesterday i was typing the first words of Pinned on my phone, in a crappy notes app, with my autocorrect trying to fix as many english words as possible to the default language, when the app crashed and i lost a bunch of progress... good times sldkfj I never expected to keep writing - even less to enjoy it this much - during all this time, so thinking about that just makes me really happy and i hope i can continue doing this for a nice while..))


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